


Imprisoned Prey

by TheyBwtterBeTogetherB4IDie



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Assassins & Hitmen, Blood, Chains, Collars, Hunter and Prey, M/M, Murder, Possessive Behavior, Slightly Yandere!Levi, Torture, bodyguards, forced imprisonment, possessive!Levi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-31
Updated: 2018-03-21
Packaged: 2018-05-10 14:14:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 31,897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5589223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheyBwtterBeTogetherB4IDie/pseuds/TheyBwtterBeTogetherB4IDie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>You are mine now...my beloved Eren.</em>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Imprisoned Prey (Levi)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _You are mine now...my beloved Eren._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe I wrote this... *blushes*
> 
> But I did, and I hope you enjoy... (I hope)
> 
> Comments, critiques, all welcome :) And if I made any mistakes, feel free to point them out, since I did kind of write this last minute... ^_^
> 
> And an early Happy New Year to everyone!
> 
> Back story (if you want to read it):
> 
> Levi is an Underground agent, who Eren gets involved with accidentally one day. He was thirteen at the time, Levi was eighteen, and after he lets the boy go, he finds himself craving for the other's presence more and more. None of his targets have ever lasted more than a week, which includes any one night stands, and as he moves up the ranks in the Underground, he pursues after his prey constantly, so that the boy is constantly within his sight.

Silver eyes gleamed in the darkness, the liquid mercury softening as it laid its sight on the motionless figure in front of them. Pale fingers dragged themselves along the tan skin of the unconscious prisoner, lightly tracing the small specks of dried blood that decorated his face.

“Oi...wake up.”

The figure remained motionless, the metal chains that held his body up by his wrists barely even shifting as the other tipped his head back.

Moonlight shone onto closed eyes encased by long eyelashes and plump lips that let out even paced breaths. Messy hazelnut brown hair fell to both sides, soft to the touch, and the silver-eyed man relished in the feeling of possessing the one thing he had been chasing for the past five years.

“Come on, brat, I won’t wait for you forever,” he whispered, sliding his lips over the other’s left earlobe, his hand creeping below the thin fabric of the shirt the young man was wearing.

Sighing when he got no reaction, he stepped back, gazing forlornly at the closed eyes that just refused to open, to show him that strange, irresistible colour that had first caught his attention the first time they had met.

The black leather of his coat brushed the solid rock ground that was stained with rusty red and brown, forming patterns layer over layer, as though there were a field of spider lilies glowing dimly in the dark.

Impatient, the man huffed, glaring at the young man, and scuffing the toe of his boot at the edge of the several layers of black silk he had placed underneath, in hopes of making his precious prey more comfortable. After all, he had not spent five years after just one target to have it hate him. No, he wanted those jewel-like eyes to beg for his presence, for his every command and for his every touch.

The tune of a nursery rhyme flowed from his lips, an eerie sound in the dead of the night.

_Mary Mary quite contrary,_

_How does your garden grow?_

_With silver bells and cockle shells_

_And pretty maids all in a row._

He turned back to his pretty prey, eyes gleaming with excitement.

“Hey, brat, did you know? To spend five years after a single target is a miracle for me...and you. Never have I ever had so much interest in any of my prey, only you, and to think, you were only a shitty little brat!” he chuckled darkly, loosening the chains so that the young man could lie down, and quickly fastening them to the iron rings that were attached to the base of the wall. He crawled over, his body forming a cage as he lowered his face to stop right next to the other’s ear.

“None of them lasted more than a week...and yet, you still struggle like the stubborn little shit you are,” his lips brushed the young man’s ear and moved down to latch onto his neck, sucking hard enough to form a bruise, “So many nights...I couldn’t even sleep properly, because every time I closed my eyes, you would be there...your eyes would be watching me, glaring at me with untamed fury.”

“Remember? That time when you tried to shoot me? So amusing, a kid not even sixteen trying to shoot someone who is so deeply rooted in the Underground. I was not sure whether you were a hero or just another goddamn fool trying to challenge me.”

“So beautiful,” he breathed out, silver eyes drunk on the sight of the innocent and unguarded face, hands caressing the lean body that lay beneath him.

“And that time, when you left everything behind to try to protect your family and friends, after I sent you those pictures and videos of those two, I believe, that one that had an unbelievable amount of freckles and the one with the long face? Funny that you would throw up after watching the videos, since blood is merely a fluid that is red. And a head is just a head, it was not like I sent you their genitals since you already saw it in the video. Their screams were like music...though not as beautiful as yours’ will be when I take you.”

“I need you, brat...and you will need me, too, soon. There is no need for anything else...right? You should know, since the blood of your so-called friends decorate the very ground that we are on. Normally, I would not be able to stand such filthiness, but when I see you, I feel nothing else.”

Another bruise on the neck, and he slid up to lean forward, lips nearing the other’s, only to whisper, “Remember your sister and best friend? I had so much fun carving them up, just for you...two birds with one stone, since you will not need them with me by your side.”

A press to those plump lips, a flick of the tongue, the scent of hunger and want and desire permeating the air.

“Wake up, my love, the night’s just beginning.”

Finally, the young man stirred, his hair shifting along with his movements, the chains clinking as he pulled against the restraints. And eyelids opened to reveal the most beautiful colour the man had ever seen, emeralds and sapphires mixed together to form a mysterious shade of blue and green with flecks of gold.

Hazy and unaware of his surroundings, the young man groaned quietly, confusion in his eyes as they adjusted to the darkness of the room.

“Wha…?”

“Ah, brat, you are finally awake.”

“What the fuck!?”

The man leaned back to avoid the head butt the other attempted, watching with amusement on his face as the young man’s face scrunched up in pain from the sudden movement.

“Took you a fucking long time. I almost lost my patience.”

“As if I would ever believe that, you bastard.”

Ah, there it was again. That glare, the flame behind those eyes, it made him shiver with delight, seeing the young man struggle yet unable to escape. He slid his hands up the other’s chest, all the way until they were on either side of the young man’s face and secured him in place, so that he could no longer attempt a head butt.

“I have waited so long for this one moment,” he tapped foreheads with his prey, drowning in those bottomless whirlpools of blue and green. His comment only made the other struggle even harder, trying to get as far away as he could from the hunter, cringing with an unknown fear when he felt soft butterfly kisses along the curve of his neck.

“No--!”

The man impatiently cut off the cry, slamming the other’s head against the solid ground that was under the silk sheets, grinning when he heard the young man whimper in pain. Taking advantage of the situation, he roughly took hold of the other’s lips, shoving in his tongue, winning the battle of control before it even started as the prey was still too dazed to even fight.

_You are mine now...my beloved Eren._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...how was it? I found it kind of hard to write the whole thing, but I got really excited with the whole 'possessive behaviour' thing...so yup, this was the result.
> 
> I wasn't sure whether I wanted to include the names in the story (trust me, it was as hard as f*ck trying to discern who was who -- and I'm sure it was for you too) but I'm hoping the impact worked in the end...at least somewhat... *nervous laughter*
> 
> For those interested in the nursery song Levi sung, it is quite dark (despite its popularity as a nursery song -- then again, many do have rather dark backgrounds), go check it out. I'm not going to mention the details here, but if you get the stuff indicated by the *ahem* words of the rhyme...you'll get why I included it in here.


	2. Fleeting Freedom (Eren)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He didn’t even know why the man was so obsessed with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright :) I decided to add a bit more to the previous chapter, so hope you enjoy! ^_^
> 
> This is from Eren's perspective, so it will be set before last chapter.

_-A week ago-_

The brunet breathed in deeply, relishing in the cool breeze that surrounded him. It had been so long since he had last ventured out in the open like this without the fear of a certain man seeing him.

Too many nights had been spent sleepless and on the run. He had thrown away the cellphone that his parents had gotten for his fourteenth birthday and just packed a few sets of clothes, whatever else he could fit in the backpack, along with his wallet and the money he had been saving for over two years after countless shifts at a variety of part-time jobs; not that any of them kept him for long after learning of his so-called _connection_ with _him_.

He didn’t even know why the man was so obsessed with him. The only thing he remembered from the first time they met was that he had tried to protect his good friend Krista, who was the daughter of a rather important shareholder of the Reiss Company.

\- AoT - SnK -

_-Five years ago-_

It was coincidence that he had been walking home with her after school, talking about the party that she was holding next week for their little group, who had been dubbed by everyone around as the ‘104th Squad’. They were close friends, even counted as family. One would never betray the other. That time, he had agreed to help Krista with the planning, since he always had had a good feel with art and colours in general.

There had been no warning of the men’s arrival. One moment they had been talking animatedly about what colour should be used for the cups and the next they were surrounded by four men, wearing the cliché black clothing. They were all well-built and well-coordinated; two reached forward to grab Krista and Eren, while the other two stayed behind to prevent any attempts to escape.

But Eren wasn’t helpless either.

He was the son of Grisha Jaeger, a prominent doctor who had built his own company at a young age of 22, and he had been well-versed in the arts of self-defense since he was young. Just because he wasn’t a professional did not meant that he couldn’t take out a couple of men, even if he had to use some dirty tricks.

A duck, a punch and a kick to the groin and one was down. Eren left him to Krista who quickly knelt down to disable the man through quick but firm presses against certain pressure points. The girl was not as weak as she looked.

“Eren!”

He caught the gun in his hands, the familiar heavy, cool feel of steel against his skin and pointed it without hesitation at the remaining men.

“Step back, or I will shoot.”

Krista had already begun to call the police behind him, and he slowly stepped backwards to lessen the distance between them.

The three men reached for their own guns, until a cold, crisp voice sounded; quiet, but it held an ominous presence.

“Down.”

Eren stiffened, his grip on the gun tightening as he eyed the new man who had just joined them.

He was short. That was the first thing that crossed his mind when he saw him, but nonetheless had a threatening atmosphere around him that made everyone go on guard. His gunmetal eyes focused onto Eren, and the boy slowly gulped, unconsciously scared but yet still not willing to stand down.

“I thought the target would be alone around this time?”

“S-sorry Sir! It was not anticipated that the boy would be there!”

“Oh, is that so? We’ll deal with that part later, _they_ can do whatever _they_ want later with you three. No running away, you know the consequences.”

The man visibly shivered, his face going paler by the second.

“As for you...may I ask for your name?”

“Screw this bullshit! What do you want with Krista?”

“Oh-ho. Interesting. We don’t want much with her, just want to slit her pretty little throat. I swear we won’t do anything after that.”

“Then you can get lost.”

“Well, that’s disappointing. But I’m always open to alternatives. Why don’t we make an exchange?”

Eren furrowed his eyebrows, a questioning look flashing across his face.

“You for her. That’s simple enough, right?”

“Huh?”

“Like I said, you for her. I’ll let her go if you come with me.”

“No! Eren, don’t listen to him!”

“...are you sure? How do I know if I can trust you?”

“So it’s Eren, is it? You don’t know,” Levi chuckled, “but that’s the only alternative I’m willing to give right now, considering I’m already pissed as hell because of some motherfucker’s orders to have me check up on some incompetent ants.”

He could hear Krista sobbing behind him, and his heart clenched at the sound. Maybe...just maybe…

“Don’t you dare, Eren Jaeger! I won’t forgive you!”

“Oh, come one, little lady, Eren isn’t yours is he?”

“That doesn’t mean I’ll let you take him!”

“A pity,” the man sighed, his attention shifting back to Eren when he heard the click of the safety being removed.

“Krista has already said no, so back off, or I’ll shoot.”

He pointed the gun directly at Levi, his eyes trained on his each and every movement.

Distant sirens sounded but neither side wanted to give in.

“You three, go back first.”

The three underlings scrambled to get away, more than glad to get out of the tension, even if only temporarily.

“As for you, my little prey…”

Eren blinked in surprised when the man suddenly disappeared, and he searched around wildly for the missing threat. He cried out when something struck his wrist hard, forcing him to drop the gun and he fell back onto the ground, clutching his injured hand. Levi was before him, and he had to look up to glare at those frightening silver eyes that were filled with pleasure from the pain shown on his face.

The man crouched down, gloved hands traced lightly over the side of Eren’s face in an almost gentle manner until he was forced to bare his neck.

“Well, well, what do you know? I like you all submissive like this.”

He wrenched himself away in disgust.

“Oh well, I’ll let you and your little friend go for today, but we’ll meet again, _Eren Jaeger_. I’ll make sure of that.”

Levi turned around, picking up the dropped gun and walked leisurely away from the scene. Eren and Krista stared at his retreating figure with trepidation, unable to move, until he was no longer in sight.

\- AoT - SnK -

It hadn’t even been over a month when Eren met the man again.

He had always had good instincts, but being the hotheaded type he was, he oftentimes disregarded them until when he really needed them. Which almost always proved to be too late.

_Ah, so pretty._

Eren tipped his head back to gaze at the stars, settling against the cool metal of the metal park seat and tucking his shivering hands deeply into his two pockets. His breaths came out in small white puffs, disappearing into the cool night air.

Winter was ending soon and he was definitely going to miss the snow that always decorated the grounds of Maria without fail but he also looked forward to the sakura trees that will blossom in the spring.

He reached his arm up, his hand grabbing at the stars that seemed to be right within his grasps, sighing when his fingers slipped through empty air.

He still thought back to that day, when he had met that strange man. Not that anyone could blame him, the man was quite the mystery and as inquisitive as Eren is, he didn’t like not knowing things. He hated being left in the dark.

The incident that day had somehow been marked as a failed murder attempt, the man who had been left unconscious at the crime scene convicted of the crime. There had been no traces of the others, and when Eren and Krista had tried to report about the silver-eyed man, the detective had immediately stiffened and shut down the witness accounting within seconds.

Naturally, Eren, enraged, had shouted at the detective, demanding why the hell he was leaving and calling him a coward before being forcefully restrained by two other officers who had been standing outside.

After that, he hadn’t received any word of that man, which a small part of him was thankful for. As impulsive as he was most of the time, he wasn’t stupid. That man smelled of blood. Danger. Death. It was probably better to stay away from him.

He blinked, his eyes blurring when the streetlight at the opposite end suddenly blinked on and off. His body was immediately alert, and he sat up straight, a sense of apprehension as he stared at the flickering light.

“Surprise.”

The whisper near his ear made him jump as he quickly turned around and stumbled back, his jewel-like eyes wide and his heart beating like wild.

“Oh my, did I scare you?”

Silver eyes gleamed from the darkness of the shadows and a wicked smirk adorned that ethereal face.

The flicker of the dull yellow light highlighted the man’s face, tracing the sharp contours and outlining the toned body hidden beneath black leather. It was the sinister smile that made Eren involuntarily took half a step back, his body tense as his instincts went haywire, trying to figure out what to do.

The man innerly shivered with hidden delight; he loved the way those emerald sapphire eyes glared back at him, yet still shifted ever so slightly to reveal the indescribable fear that existed.

“Miss me?”

“Like hell I did,” Eren snarled, trying to discreetly reach for the cellphone that he had shoved in his back pocket.

“That’s a shame, I missed you so much.”

Eren felt around for the buttons on the device and began to dial out his father’s number.

“Drop the phone, brat, or else I will make you.”

He froze. Shit.

“Now be a nice kitten and drop that phone right in front of you.”

He slowly took out the phone from behind him, kneeling down and placing it on the ground in front of him.

The man finally strolled towards Eren, a rather smug look on his face as he picked up the cellphone with his gloved hand and fiddled with it, making the teen bristle with anger.

“What do you want?”

“Nothing. Yet. I just dropped by to see how my brat is doing. Perhaps introduce myself since I know your name but you do not know mine.”

“As if I would ever want to know.”

Silver orbs glanced at the teen, the first inklings of annoyance beginning to show.

Eren blinked when the man disappeared, only to jump in surprise when he felt an arm applying just enough pressure against his throat and another holding his own arm painfully behind him. He shivered, feeling the warm breaths of air that went against his neck at an even pace.

“Not so loud are we now? Did I not tell you last time that I like it when you are submissive?”

“You bastard!” Eren managed to hiss out, struggling before the pressure on his throat increased.

“Shut up and listen carefully, kitten, I will only introduce myself once,” the man murmured right next to Eren’s left ear, making him shudder, “My name is Levi. Levi Ackerman. You’ll do well to remember that in the future.”

There was a sharp pain before Eren saw the stars blur into small balls of light and he felt himself fall back against something warm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be another part, since the thing isn't finished, but yup, I hope I can get to that as soon as possible :)


	3. A Silver-Gilded Cage (Eren)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _On that day, he received a grim reminder of the fact that he and his family, his friends, lived in fear of one man and the humiliation of being trapped in a cage._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright...so as promised (if you look at the comments section in chapter 2 ^_^) here is chapter 3 before the weekend!
> 
> As usual, feel free to message me if I made any little errors (while editing is indeed my strong suit, I'm afraid trying to do it while half-asleep...well, we'll see the results soon enough), comment, criticisms are also accepted as long as you don't go too overboard :) Please do read the end notes, as there will be important (is it important?) info (I think).
> 
> So, enjoy...?

_-Five years ago-_

He was later found unconscious on the park seat when his parents received a phone call from _his_ cell phone saying that he needed to be picked up. Naturally, they had questioned him relentlessly, not that Eren could even get annoyed at them since he could sense how worried they had been. As for his cell phone, the man, Levi Ackerman, had evidently done something, but he wasn’t sure what. In a way, he was rather relieved that the cell phone hadn’t been destroyed; it was something his parents had given him after all.

Levi was quite persistent with his advances after that. Whether it was the huge bouquets of exotic flowers that he sent faithfully every month or the creepy yet chillingly beautiful photos of sceneries, where barely distinguishable dark spots littered the frames. Not that he kept any of them for long; he had learned from the first time the flowers were sent to throw them out right away. Who knew what the man had put in there. As for the pictures, he and his parents, as well as a frantic Mikasa, had tried to secretly send them to the police, but they were always sent back with the same letter of apology, each time a set of ten new bloody fingerprints in a row at the bottom of the page. They had given up after the third time, too frightened to continue and Eren had settled with discarding the photos every time they were sent. At the very least he now had a notion of what Levi had done with his cell phone that time.

His parents were more cautious than ever, setting ridiculous curfews for him and hiring two bodyguards who accompanied him to and from school. He wasn’t allowed to go out otherwise and his mother always stayed home, choosing to give up her nursing position so that she could ensure her son’s safety.

For the next four months, everyday became a single routine. Wake up, school, then home, dinner and sleep. They hadn’t taken away his cell phone yet, nor cut off his Internet, so he was stuck with homework and surfing the net. Armin and the rest of the 104th Squad visited him often, now that he couldn’t go out, and he was thankful for that; otherwise he would’ve gone crazy long ago. His sixteenth birthday became a sad little gathering of only his parents and the 104th Squad; his mother had baked the cake herself so that she would be sure of what was inside. It was quite pitiful in a way, he thought sullenly, how he was stuck in a silver-gilded cage with a false sense of protection, waiting to be attacked.

“Jaeger! What’s up with that sullen, bitchy face?”

“Jean. I never knew that equidae like you would know such a complex word like ‘sullen’. Go thank Poseidon that your trainer is so smart.”

“You bast-!”

A hand immediately smacked over Jean Kirstein’s mouth with a loud smack, as his boyfriend of a year, Marco Bodt, gave Eren an easy smile, his other hand pinching quite viciously near the horse’s...precious.

“No fooling around, hon. Remember what you promised me.”

“Y-yes.”

“Well, then, see you later, Eren.”

“Bye, see you, Marco. Good luck with training the horse.”

“Of course. Jean knows better than to do something bad, right, hon?”

“R-right, dear.”

Eren chuckled, putting away his notebooks and pens, watching Marco drag Jean away.

“Sir?”

“Huh?”

Eren looked up at the bodyguard who had addressed him. He was already a good half head taller than other kids his age, but these bodyguards were definitely abnormal with their heights. Not that he was sulking or anything. At least that Levi guy was shorter than him.

“It’s time to head home. School has ended.”

Eren pressed his lips together, frustrated. He had already skipped his cleaning duties too many times. Any more special treatment and even he will start to get annoyed.

“Look, I have cleaning duties today. I’ll be leaving a bit later than usual, so it’s alright if you guys go back first. It’s not like that guy has actually contacted me since.”

“I apologize, Sir, but your mother has instructed us to escort you home before it gets dark. We cannot disobey her,” the slightly taller of the bodyguards replied in that robotic manner as always, the brown eyes unflinching as Eren scowled. His dark brown hair was slicked to form a tip at the end, something Eren had initially giggled at secretly. He no longer did though, considering how often he saw the guy. Eight hours per day for the past three months, three weeks and six days, to be exact. His partner had hazel eyes with medium-length dirty blond hair that was tied back in a folded bun at the back, something Eren didn’t see often these days. While neither particularly showed any expression on duty, Eren had caught them joking around quite a few times behind his back.

“I know, I know,” he sighed, “you have to stay by my side at all times.”

He smiled sadly, leaning forward to rest his chin on his arms. He never thought he would miss cleaning. To think that only last year, he had tried every way he could to ditch school when it came to his turn.

“Schultz, we could stay late for one day. You have to admit it’s kind of hard on the kid, being stared at constantly by two guys like us.”

“It’s not like you to slack off, Jinn.” Gunther Schultz narrowed his eyes at his partner with an obviously displeased expression.

“We’ll only make this exception once. Right, Sir?” Eld Jinn turned to look at Eren, raising an eyebrow.

Eren immediately brightened, his eyes sparkling with excitement and a smile lighting up his face for the first time in months.

“Yes!”

He ran to the door and turned back to wave at them before exiting the classroom to get the cleaning equipment with his classmates.

“Well,” Eld drawled out, a lazy smirk on his face, “no wonder the guy has an eye on him, eh?”

Gunther sighed, shaking his head hopelessly.

\- AoT - SnK -

Eren hummed a small tune under his breath as he finished cleaning the blackboard. Armin and Mikasa had finished taking out the trash, so they would be able to close the classroom in a few minutes. As for Marco and Jean...he had no doubt that they were going at it like rabbits right about now. The things that they do behind closed doors; he was 99% sure that they were kinky as hell.

The two bodyguards trailed behind Eren the whole time, following him to the cleaning closet, to the washroom and even when he had to draw a pail of water, but they maintained a respectful distance, mindful of how restricted the boy already felt.

“Mikasa, Armin, you guys done yet?”

The usually silent girl and the blonde mushroom entered the classroom with small smiles, Mikasa nodding her head at Eren behind the bright red scarf she always kept around her neck.

“You better get home soon, Eren,” Armin prodded playfully at the other boy, “the last thing I want to face while studying for a chemistry test tomorrow is your mother.”

“Oh shit! There’s a test tomorrow?”

Mikasa rolled her eyes at Eren, sighing heavily.

“You forgot?”

He nodded meekly, blue-green eyes pleading desperately at his two friends.

Armin placed a hand to his head in a mocking manner, “Really, Eren, how many times is this? Do you realize just how much of a headache this causes me every time?”

“Yes, I know! And I’m sorry!” Eren latched onto them, “But please? Pretty please?”

The blonde chuckled, Mikasa shaking with silent laughter, “Fine. Tonight at eight?”

“Sure! I’ll be waiting then!”

They got ready to leave the classroom, Gunther and Eld standing on both sides as Armin locked the room, pocketing them, and tilted his head towards the stairs, indicating for them to get going.

Exiting the school, the sun had already begun to set in the distance but the warmth lingered in the air and the brunet ran his hand through his hair which had grown quite a bit in the past few months. He would need a haircut soon.

He stayed sandwiched between his two friends, laughing at Armin’s poor attempts at imitating his favourite professors and Mikasa’s snorts of amusement which she tried to hide behind her scarf. From time to time, Eld would chuckle, elbowing Gunther who had a rather difficult time keeping a straight face, especially when the blonde mushroom started doing a rendition of his Physics teacher singing _Bang, Bang_. Apparently she was a hardcore Nicki Minaj fan.

They reached Armin’s home first, a small complex that he shared with his grandfather, and Eren flicked him in the forehead when he was about to start off another song, Mikasa reminding the honor student that he still had to study for a test tomorrow.

Eren lived next to Mikasa, so they took their time to stroll the last bit of distance to their houses. Carla Jaeger had immediately taken a liking to Mrs. Ackerman five years ago when the Ackermans had first moved next to them, and she made sure to include their neighbours every time she had an event going on.

“Alright, so online tonight?”

“Yes, just go to our usual video chat group. I’ll call Armin ahead of time so he doesn’t forget it.”

He waved goodbye to the girl, watching her punch in the password and close the door behind her before bowing goodbye to his bodyguards.

“Thank you for today.”

“No problem, bud, you need us to explain it to you mother?”

“Uh...yes,” his eyes darted around nervously, and he scratched at the back of his neck, wincing when his nails dug in too hard, “that would be helpful.”

Surprisingly, it was Gunther who first walked towards the door.

“What are you two waiting for? Get your asses moving, we don’t have all day to do this!” he barked harshly, making Eren jump slightly, then turned back to the door, muttering expletives under his breath, something about how all teenagers these days were little shits with no sense of self preservation.

Eld laughed heartily and gave Eren an encouraging push forward.

_Now or never, I suppose._

\- AoT - SnK -

He felt the disapproving glare of his mother as soon as he set foot into the house.

“Well?”

“Uh...hi, mom?”

“Mhm?”

“T-that is…”

“Young man, do you know how worried I was? Have you never heard of something called a cell phone?” Carla glared murderously at her son, the furrows of her brow deepening.

“Y-yes…?”

Gunther took the initiative, stepping in front of the frightened brunet, a professional look on his face, and attempted to pacify the almost hyperventilating woman.

“Madam, please be assured, we made sure to follow close behind him the whole time. Though this was only a job at first, even I have to admit that I’ve gotten rather attached to the brat. We would never have let him be in danger if we could prevent it in the first place.”

The few seconds seemed like hours to Eren, but his mother finally seemed to calm down, letting out a deep breath, her face finally smoothing out a bit.

“Thank you. I really cannot express how grateful I am for you two fine men to be so dedicated to your job, to work even extra hours just because of my son’s selfishness. If you two do not mind, would you please stay for dinner tonight?”

“I am not so s-”

Eld cut off Gunther with a broad smile, eyes twinkling with mischief.

“Of course, madam. We would be more than delighted to accept your invitation.”

“Eld!”

“Tsk, tsk, Gunther, raising your voice in the presence of a lady?”

The serious man immediately shut his mouth with an audible clack of teeth against teeth, his left eye twitching with irritation.

“I...suppose we could stay for just one meal. I apologize for any inconveniences, madam.”

“Oh, no!” Carla exclaimed, smiling brightly, the wrinkles on her face disappearing as though they were never there, “This is the least I could do after having you two work so hard and long for four months.”

Eren toed off his sneakers, motioning for the other two to do the same, and got out slippers for all of them.

“So...I’ll be going upstairs?” he said hesitantly, the statement trailing off into silence.

“Sure, go ahead, I’ll call you later,” his mother waved him off with a grin, “after all, it’s only past six. Dinner will be ready in an hour, okay?”

“Yes, got it.”

He let out a sigh of relief, finally realizing that he had just narrowly avoided Carla’s wrath. Now if his luck would extend until the end, for the chemistry test and everything else.

That was the least he could wish for...right?

\- AoT - SnK -

The woman was quite the character, Eld concluded, after spending his time watching the woman blaze around the kitchen, shooting question after question at the two men. He and Gunther would barely have the time to answer the first question, and Carla would turn to them with another. It got extremely awkward when she started probing into her son’s literally nonexistent love life. Not that Eren wasn’t popular; many girls had confessed to him, there was even one guy, but the boy was too dense to realize it. He was too innocent in the realm of romance and he remembered face-palming every time the boy had replied his pursuers that he was glad to be good friends with them and that he liked them too. Even Gunther wasn’t as dense as him.

“So...has Eren set his sights on anyone yet?”

“I...don’t think so, m’am. He doesn’t seem to be really interested in romance and the likes yet.”

She suddenly paused in her movement and sighed, a small pout beginning to form, but then a smirk graced her face. Eld felt a cold breeze and shivered instinctively when the previously warm hazel eyes darkened as the woman stared off into the distance.

“But I’m sure that when he does find someone he likes, they’ll be on their knees in no time!”

_Damn right, woman. I’m sure they will with you at his side._

Carla whirled around, back to the stove to sprinkle in the last bit of salt and set the table in seconds. With smooth and practiced movements, she brought the plates of food to the table, setting them down with ease and raised her voice.

“Dinner time! Eren Jaeger, you have five seconds to get your ass down here at the dinner table. Five!”

Stumbling footsteps were heard from upstairs and a large crashing sound followed soon after.

“Four!”

The footsteps were hurried now, running across the floor above them.

“Three!”

The floorboards creaked ominously as the strangled breathing could be heard from the kitchen.

“I-I’m coming! Wait!” the boy cried out in a hoarse voice, struggling for air.

“Two!”

Eld blinked as he felt a much more different wind blow past him this time, a mix of brown and dark blue.

“One and zero! Perfect, you’re on time!”

The brunet slumped on the table, trying to catch his breath most desperately and weakly reaching for the chopsticks. His mother had forced the whole family to learn how to use chopsticks after their first time having dinner with the Ackermans. Apparently she found holding chopsticks to be an art that Eren and Grisha Jaeger also needed to perfect.

He miserably groaned when his mother smacked him on the back, indirectly telling him to get his arse in the chair properly before she flicked him. He gave up looking at his hand pitifully trying to pick up the chopsticks while resting his head on the table and shifted in his seat to sit properly.

“Alright, eat up everyone!”

“Ah, what about Mr. Jaeger?”

“Oh, Grisha will be coming back late today,” Carla replied, a hint of guilt flitting through her eyes, “he said he has another surgery coming up tonight.”

“I see. Well then...Gunther and I will help ourselves. Thank you for the meal.”

The moment of awkwardness gone, they began to dig in, laughing at the occasional jokes and when Carla flicked Eren on the head whenever he dropped food onto the table.

It felt good to laugh so freely again.

\- AoT - SnK -

“It’s eight, I’m going upstairs first, okay?”

“For?”

“Studying. Apparently we have a chemistry test tomorrow.”

“And let me guess, you forgot?”

Eren’s blue-green eyes began wandering around the room, his ears a dark shade of red.

“Eren Jaeger, young man-”

“Alright, I did, I did!”

“Goodness gracious, what am I ever going to do with you, young man? Whatever, just get your ass upstairs and start that studying.”

“Yes, mom!”

He ran upstairs before he could get verbally reprimanded again. Turning on his computer, he logged in and brought up the video chat, and clicked on ‘Mikasa’ and ‘Armin’. The beeping sounded twice on the computer before one screen revealed a tired Mikasa and a glaring Armin.

“...hi, Armin?”

_“You get chewed out by your mom yet?”_

“Kind of…?”

_“Good. I feel better now.”_

“Huh? Why?”

_“Why else would I waste my time on an idiot who even forgot the existence of his chemistry test?”_

“Armin,” he whined, giving the blonde his best puppy eyes until Armin gave an exasperated sigh and rolled his eyes.

_“Fine. Alright, I’m guessing we have to start at the beginning of the chapter?”_

“You’re so smart, Armin! You’re a genius!”

_“Glad you are aware of that, Eren. Now shut up and start listening.”_

\- AoT - SnK -

_“You got all that?”_

“Yes, Armin…”

_“Eren. Don’t fall asleep.”_

“Yes, Mikasa...I know…”

_“So then I assume you can tell me why sodium is more reactive than lithium? Why electronegativity increases across a period? Why aluminum oxide is amphoteric?”_

“Uh...yes?”

_“Eren, I can see your ears.”_

“Mikasa, shut up!”

A ding suddenly sounded from his cell phone that lit up with the time 9:32 p.m. Saved by the phone.

“Wait, got a message, give me five seconds.”

He opened the lock on his phone and hit the neon green icon in the corner that had ‘Text Messages’ printed underneath. Frowning at the empty display of the phone number, he hesitantly pressed on the new message that had only one word.

_Enjoy._

“Enjoy what…?” he mutter under his breath, scrolling down to find a video. He stopped for a second, trying to make out the still picture that was too dark to really see anything. Was this another of _that_ person’s tricks? But he never sent videos before.

_“Eren, are you alright? You got quiet all of a sudden.”_

“Wait a second, Mika, I got a video from someone. Just let me check it out and I’ll get back to you guys.”

Making up his mind he clicked on the video.

How he now wished that he had never done that.

_On that day, the boy received a grim reminder of the fact that he and his family, his friends, lived in fear of one man and the humiliation of being trapped in a cage._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooooookay...guesses as to what he got?
> 
> And I felt rather cheesy, tacking on that last sentence, but hey, I was on the profile page when I was writing and I got so excited of how well it fit that I just added it.
> 
> As for the next chapter (yes, believe it or not, the ever-slow me is actually writing another one - huzzah?) I am most likely going to raise the tags to Mature (provided I remember to do it). As to why, you'll see :)
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has commented, kudoed (is that even a word?), bookmarked, subscribed or read this fic :) I'm really happy that there were people who liked it ^_^


	4. Dream of Reality (Eren)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's all his fault.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As mentioned last time, I've edited the tags and the rating has been bumped up.
> 
> Thanks to everyone who has waited patiently, has read this fic, and everyone who gave extremely helpful feedback and encouraging comments in the last three chapters or left a kudos, bookmark subscription ^_^
> 
> I still can't wrap my head around the fact that I wrote this (particularly this chapter -- I've never gotten this close to smut before *blushes*), but I hope you enjoy :)

_-Present-_

The warm muscle curled around his own, and he unknowingly moaned quietly into the demanding kiss, his wrists weakly pulling at the chains. His head was a mess inside. He felt dizzy, his eyes could barely open without his vision blurring and a terrible headache developing.

Eren Jaeger laid beneath Levi Ackerman, panting softly as the older man broke their locked lips and slowly nibbled at the other’s ear.

“L-let me go...please.”

Levi paused, his gunmetal eyes slitting in the darkness.

“No.”

“B-but-”

“I said no,” he hissed, seemingly outraged at even the mere suggestion of letting his prey go after all he had done to capture it, “and you would do well to stop your useless attempts at escaping.”

Eren flinched, his body shivering not only because of the cold that permeated the room but also the heavy presence of death coming from the man above him. His barely open eyes started to glisten with unshed tears of frustration, and Levi couldn’t help but croon at the sight.

“Oh my, are you scared?” he whispered, coming close to the brunet’s face, a rare smile curving his lips, “My poor little kitty, don’t worry, I’ll take _very_ good care of you.”

His hand reached down, sneaking in beneath the thin pants the boy was wearing, suddenly grasping the other’s manhood; he reveled in the whimper he got out from Eren.

“Don’t be afraid, let your voice out, there’s no one else here to listen except for me.”

The brunet immediately bit on his lips, a bead of fresh red blood welling up, the pain momentarily distracting him.

“Mmph! Hng!”

“Stubborn, aren’t you?” Levi chuckled, a devious smirk making its way onto his face and he quickened his pace, precum staining his pale and elegant fingers.

“Hah!”

Eren finally cried out after a particularly harsh tug as he struggled to contain his tears. No more, he wanted it to stop, he didn’t want to-

“Ah!”

The raven exhaled softly, slowly licking at his right hand that was now covered with strings of thick, white cum. Eren could only let out shaky breaths, his eyes barely even able to follow the other’s movements as he was overcome with the forced pleasure that had come and go so fast.

“No more...please...no more,” his voice quivered, the tears still rimming the edges of his sapphire-emerald eyes that emitted raw fear and tinges of hatred, against his captor and his body’s reactions, “I don’t want-!”

He was silenced with a burning kiss as Levi tugged harshly at his chestnut hair, his yelps of pain echoing in the room when the man bit him, beautiful music to the raven’s ears.

When Levi finally broke the kiss, he was conscious enough to catch just one sentence before slipping back into the deceiving haven provided in the arms of shadows.

“There is no you here, Eren, there is only me because from now on, I will be your whole world.”

\- AoT - SnK -

_-Five years ago-_

_“No, please! Stop! Stop hurting him! I’ll do anything, just stop hurting him!”_

Eren’s hand trembled, his voice stuck in his throat as he watched the figure on the screen struggle against the chains, tears streaming down across too-familiar freckles and a haggard face speckled with blood.

_Marco. What is he doing there? Where is Jean?_

_“Mmph! Mm! Mm-”_

The camera focused from a different angle, this time catching the harsh light above a dissection table and the weak struggles of someone gagged and tied down, the horrifying amount of blood splattered on the table and the man standing beside it making Eren himself gasp for air, his thoughts finally beginning to circulate.

_“Ahem. Focus, my jewel. I should be your main attraction right now.”_

His eyes silently moved to the standing figure who carelessly waved a bloody scalpel in the air, twirling it around his fingers with ease. It was _him_.

_“So. It’s come to my attention that I missed your birthday...let’s see, about three months ago? No, just over two months. Although I will admit that I was quite busy during that time, and your parents weren’t exactly eager on telling everyone about it to celebrate the damn thing, but still it was a damn disappointment to miss my precious prey’s only once-a-year birthday.”_

Eren was shivering uncontrollably now, unable to even hear the shouts of Mikasa and Armin in the background, his focus unwilling yet completely captivated by the man on the screen.

_“And being the gentleman I am, I decided to send you a present, even if it’s a little late. So, my dear Eren...enjoy the show that I present you tonight.”_

The screams and pleas for the man to stop became white noise in his ears. He only saw blood. The knife. The cuts that pulled open the skin, to reveal the ugly mess of organs inside. The shudders of the heart that was still beating, the white of the ribs curving around it, exposed to the air. The glaring white light. The silent struggles of the bloody victim who was still _fucking breathing and alive_.

His hand drops the phone and he stumbles off his chair, landing on the floor with a loud thump. The gold flecks that usually decorate his brilliant emerald eyes became even more prominent as his pupils dilated with fear and shock. The volume was still at its highest, the screams echoing throughout the room, until he realized that there was no more noise. Shaking, he got to his feet at an excruciatingly slow pace to cautiously approach the phone.

_“Well, did you like that, my love?”_

Eren screamed, his eyes locked onto dead brown ones, the originally neatly parted black hair now strings covered with filth and grime. The decapitated corpse fell to the cold stone in the screen and the bloody gloved hand holding the head waved it in front of the camera lens that was capturing the whole scene. A violent shudder ran through his body, and the contents of his dinner splatter on the floor. He gagged, his legs collapsing and he struggled to breathe.

_No...no more...I don’t want this, please!_

Several sets of hurried footsteps sounded up the stairs as the door to his room burst open and his mother rushed in with Erd and Gunther close behind, naked panic displayed on her face when she saw the state her son was in and immediately embraced him, running her hand soothingly through his hair.

“Eren, what’s wrong, honey?”

Gunther approached the desk, even his usual poker face twitching with some resemblance of horror when he saw the image on the screen.

Even as his mother comforted him with her soothing voice, he still heard the last line being played from the video as the bodyguard picked up the phone.

_“Happy late birthday, my dear Eren.”_

\- AoT - SnK -

_-Present-_

His eyelids fluttered weakly as he slowly became aware of the hot water that slid over his body and the warm steam that floated upwards, covering his face with small droplets of water.

“Wha…?”

He stared blankly at a pure white ceiling, too hazy to even consider moving his heavy limbs. Slowly, he tilts his head to the left, noting how soft the pillow behind him was, and takes in the creamy marble that was used for the floor and walls, the swirls forming mysterious patterns that spread out like vines.

His body felt like lead, but he was able to force his arms to shift enough to know that the manacles and chains were still there. 

“Awake, love?”

Eren turned his head to the right, dizziness momentarily overtaking his vision with dark black spots, to resentfully stare back at the cold silver orbs that were gazing at him with amusement and a certain sense of satisfaction.

“...wh…”

“Why can’t you move? I might have given you a little something to make sure no accidents happen in the bath. The last thing we need is a head injury, no?”

Levi was by no means a really muscular person, at least nothing like the men Eren had often admired on TV, the ones with the ridiculous amount of muscles just for show; but he still had a six-pack and enough muscles to pack quite a bit of destructive power behind his attacks. It was a part of his daily routine to go out and run, then work out in the gym from time to time in order to stay fit and avoid any preventable accidents in his line of work.

Eren once again turned his head to look upwards when Levi dropped the towel and climbed into the hot tub with him, a hand going through his hair push back the bangs from his undercut.

“Blushing? How cute.”

“Sh-sh...ut...up.”

The brunet had to muster all his strength to spit out those words before he fell silent again, too exhausted to think. What the hell did the man give him?

“Calm down, it’s just vecuronium bromide, something easily obtained. You’ll just stay like that for, let’s see, just over half an hour? Maybe a little shorter, since I did give you the relaxant at least five minutes ago. Besides, I made sure the needle was clean.”

He leaned over Eren, causing the brunet to widen his eyes in panic, to which he immediately paused and peered at those beautiful green orbs flecked with gold and a subtle hint of blue. Leaning his elbow along Eren’s chest, his index and middle finger pushed against lips still bruised from their last kiss. Unable to move, the wet warmth of the brunet’s mouth was pliant and relaxed, and Levi took his sweet time delving his fingers into that tight heat, twirling around Eren’s tongue and enjoying the arousing image of drool slowly dripping from the corner of the brunet’s lips. Little squeaks and moans escaped from the boy’s mouth, a heavy blush settling across his face and he shut his eyes, trying to block away the feeling of his captor’s fingers rubbing against his tongue.

When Levi finally retracted his fingers from Eren’s mouth, he traced the brunet’s lips and jaw with a tenderness that the other found hard to accept.

This was the man who had murdered his friends. The man whom he had sworn never to forgive. The man who had forced pleasure onto him.

There was no room for doubt. Only hate. Disgust. Fear.

“D...ie...you...b-ba...star...d.”

The hand swiftly seized the brunet’s chin, forcing him to tilt back as Levi promptly entered his mouth without hesitation and explored the inside languidly with his tongue, giving Eren no chance to retaliate.

“Bad boy,” he murmured softly, finally allowing Eren to breathe, “you know I don’t like it when you are like that. I don’t want to hurt you.”

The brunet’s broken gasps excited the beast within him, the feverish, wrecked face with swollen red lips and tousled hair as if he was begging to be fucked right there and then.

“G...et...off.”

Levi tched softly, caressing his prey’s skin all over before slipping beneath the water to prod at the tight ring of muscle from behind. Leaning close to nibble Eren’s left ear, he pushed inside, though he knew that the other would barely be able to feel anything due to the vecuronium bromide still running in his blood. His lips travelled down the brunet’s neck, to his beautiful collarbones, the straining muscles of his neck deepening the wells behind them. He decorated his caramel skin with his caresses, his kisses, his marks; the brandings that made it clear who Eren belonged to.

Two fingers fit in easily as he had showered the brunet earlier, making sure the boy was clean in every way possible, and he gently parted his legs a bit further to reach in deeper and part his fingers in small scissoring motions.

He sucked particularly hard right above the collarbone and he drew back to admire the flaring red hickey he had left and for once, he felt pleasure from a mess he had made.

Eren was beginning to regain his bodily senses, actually starting to feel the temperature of the water and the slick of his assaulter’s mouth. He wriggled his fingers and toes, biting his lips hard when he felt Levi leave that one mark above what he assumed somewhere around his collarbone. The sudden scissoring motion from behind shocked him and he barely managed to contain a squeak of surprise, his face full of horror and disgust when he realized what the raven was doing.

“Ah, you can feel everything now, huh? Not that you can move, you’ll have to wait a bit longer before you can even properly stand,” Levi commented halfheartedly, though inside, he was glad that he was finally getting a reaction from his beloved prey. He continued his ministrations, drinking in every little twitch and spasm of the lean, caramel body, every small whimper or gasp that escaped the boy’s lips.

“Feeling good, aren’t you?” the raven chuckled, pulling his fingers out from the tight hole and curling them around the brunet’s length, his own already throbbing from the ravished images flashing through his head, of what he _would_ do when he does gain the boy’s permission; or maybe not, seeing as how disobedient Eren still was. He tugged lightly, a hot desire stirring inside him when he heard the delicious moan, and he twirled the tips of his fingers across the slit where precum was gathering.

Eren shivered involuntarily from the predatory gaze that was on him, but he couldn’t think straight. His mind was all muddled and he forgot to muffle the embarrassing noises that he let out, every time the raven gave a particularly harsh tug or thumbed the slit with just enough pressure.

His release was quick, and the pleasure overwhelmed him, leaving his mind pawing for some resemblance of reason. Dizziness clouded his vision and he remained compliant and quiet as Levi released his chains and slipped his arms under him, carrying the brunet out of the hot tub and carefully placed him on some type of large cushion on the marble floor, allowing his immobile body to lean against the beige surface. His teeth chattered from the cold touch of the marble, and Levi soon appeared again with fluffy black towels, kneeling on the surprisingly soft and comfy cushion to run one over the brunet’s body. Eren cringed with every contact the raven made with him. This gentleness was confusing him. Where was the roughness and violence the man had used last time?

\- AoT - SnK -

His mind was getting clearer and clearer, and he had taken the chance to attempt moving his arms and legs when Levi had exited the room with the towels. Maybe he should try walking? He wasn’t sure when the man was coming back but it had already been a few minutes. Besides, he didn’t plan on staying here forever. He wasn’t broken yet.

His body was still shivering slightly from the cold of the marble and his legs numb and clumsy, feet struggling to find purchase against the softness of the cushion. He finally got up, albeit really shaky, and mostly leaning against the wall, but he slowly took his first step with trepidation.

The brunet hissed with pain when his legs gave out below him, a large smack echoing throughout the room.

“What the fuck are you doing.”

It wasn’t a question. The scowl of the man who had stormed in without a sound almost made him want to keep his head down, but he lifted his head, tipping his chin back to stare back at those stormy grey eyes.

“Nothing that concerns you.”

He gave himself a mental pat on the back when he was able to spit out that one sentence without stuttering.

Yet the world still spun around him like a movie on fast forward when the older man suddenly covered the distance between them in less than a second and flung him back onto the cushion, leaving his body shaking from all the now useless exertion.

His ragged gasps filled the room and dizziness momentarily clouded his mind.

Levi looked down at him disapprovingly, his usual blank face drawn up with a small frown, the cool grey eyes burning with cold fire. The raven leaned forward, one hand capturing both of the brunet’s in a tight grip above his prey’s head, forcing the boy to bare his neck and body to him. His lips grazed the tip of the brunet’s ear before giving an ominous warning.

“I trust this will be the last time this happens.”

Cold dread made his body stiffen even more and Eren suppressed the whimper threatening to escape.

“My will is absolute.”

\- AoT - SnK -

The raven had wasted no time after that, bringing the still shocked brunet to a bed and not even hesitating to clasp on the custom-made black leather collar. The thin chain connected from the middle of the collar to the right post of the canopy bed that had been covered with a velvet green and black silk fabric that pooled at the bottom. Eren had been allowed to put on black briefs and an extremely loose white dress shirt that nearly hung off his right shoulder, but where bare skin came in contact with the smoothness of the black silk covers, he internally let out a small moan of comfort.

Levi smirked as he witnessed the slight release of anger from the boy’s face when he had placed him on the bed. The collar made Eren look absolutely exquisite, fitting nicely around the base of his neck. He studied the boy who was slowly gaining back his motor skills and was not so secretly twitching every now and then, probably waiting for Levi to leave the room so that he could test out his limbs again. As if Levi would allow him so much freedom when he could still escape from his hands. Sighing, because he hadn’t planned on using them so early, he took advantage of the boy’s sudden cautiousness and dug out two manacles, the lightest and most damage-proof set he had been able to buy, and snapped them onto the brunet’s wrists.

“The fuck?”

The older man gave him an unimpressed stare as the boy struggled against his bonds.

“A shitting collar? And manacles still? What is this, the medieval age? So you’re a pervert on top of being a murderer, kidnapper and molester?” Eren bit out, pulling harshly at his collar. He had been too out of it to even notice its existence until now.

Levi looked coolly at him, raising an eyebrow, “I think it’s suitable treatment considering how disobedient you’ve been. If you’re good, I might consider taking them off,” he replied, daring the boy to challenge him while looking contemplatively at the collar, “although, the collar does look quite good on you. Perhaps it shall stay.”

The harsh clinks of the chains echoed as Eren tugged at them as hard as he could, fooled by its lightness, giving out a yelp of pain when Levi suddenly picked up the chain connecting to the collar and pulled him forward.

“Stop that. I don’t need you hurting yourself.”

“And why should I listen to you?” the brunet hissed, baring his teeth with a wild look in his eyes.

The raven chose to ignore the glares and released the chain, allowing the boy to shift to a sitting position.

Eren took a good look around the room for the first time.

It was simple, everything in shades of green and plain black, white or dark chestnut. A drawer and table to the right, a nightstand and the door leading to the bathroom to the left. The walls had been painted a calming, light blue-green. The door leading out the room, however, in comparison to the others, seemed far away and considering the length of the chains, he would never reach it unless his restraints were gone. The brunet felt his heart sinking with the beginning of what he sensed to be despair.

“I’ve measured the length of the chains so that you’ll be able to reach the bathroom, drawer and table without any problems. You will be having your meals in here and you will shower at least once per day. I will be here when you do that so your restraints will be off for that length of time.”

“So this is just another silver-gilded cage,” Eren laughed bitterly, “what are you going to do? Rape me? Sell me? Or maybe torture and kill me like what you did to everyone else?”

“Watch your tongue. Be grateful, your parents are still alive. Besides, had you not resisted for so long, your ‘friends’ would still be walking around.”

So he was going to play the blame game now? Eren gulped, holding the freezing gaze that locked with his eyes, desperately trying to avoid the sudden drop of his heart, heavy with guilt. It was his fault, wasn’t it? If only he had complied earlier, his classmates, his closest friends would still be alive.

Marco. Jean. Sasha. Connie. Krista. Ymir. All taken in pairs because the man had a cruel twist of humour, allowing the lovers to hear each other's tortured screams, witness the bloody remains and death of the person most precious to them.

Annie. Reiner. Bertolt. He still shivered with disbelief, with fear, with _something_ , when he remembered that video, how the ice-queen who had always remained silent, even when she was badly wounded, had screamed until her throat was raw, until she could no longer scream. The man had made sure to bring the video camera close to her face and catch the pitiful whimpers that escaped from what was left of her mouth.

Armin. Mikasa. His closest, the two who he literally considered to be his brother and sister. It was that video of them all tied up and beaten, of Armin hanging his head in surrender and Mikasa, who had always been so strong in front of him, kneeling on the ground, her body limp and covered with blood, hanging against the chains that connected from her wrists to somewhere above. He had cracked, lost it completely, giving in to the temptation of returning to his family and what remained of his friends, giving in to the taunting voice, that the two weren’t dead yet and that he might still be able to save them.

But like always, he was too late.

It’s all his fault, right? Right. All the ‘ifs’ and ‘maybes’. The regret that _maybe_ wouldn’t be there _if_ he had just given himself to the man. Such a simple solution. A small sacrifice.

Possessive silver orbs looked on with glee, a rare smile crossing the raven’s face as he saw how the brunet curled into himself, his body shuddering like a delicate leaf in a whirlwind.

“That’s right, Eren,” he purred, the satisfaction of a predator who had finally cornered its prey leaking through his tone of voice, “it’s _all_ your fault.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...feedback? ^_^
> 
> As usual, comments, criticisms etc. are all accepted!


	5. Tearing Down the Walls (Levi)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> His pale hand reached forward but paused in midair; just one touch right now would be poison. A poison that would seep into his sense of rationality and reason and corrupt his mind to a point of no return.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really should up the rating shouldn't I...? But before that, I honestly thought I would have to write more to get another chapter out; who knew that the me of, I dunno, three months ago actually wrote enough for about 3/4 of this chapter to be covered? Meh. Oh well.
> 
> (...who am I kidding; this is just a rant session because I can't believe what I wrote -- I was too me-shocked to check out what I wrote before...like in the middle of this chapter...so...)

The door slid closed behind him, and the raven suddenly stood still, his bangs casting dark shadows over his face.

How sweet and adorable the brunet had been. He had been so wrapped up with his overbearing sense of guilt that he hadn’t even noticed Levi appraising him with lust-filled eyes, the way how he drew into himself like the prey that he was, only making Levi clench his fist with frustration. Just a little more. Just a little more and he would have the brunet on his knees, at his feet. Just a little more and he would have his desires fulfilled.

He straightened his back, slapping on black leather gloves that had been in his pockets, and walked to the opposite wall of the small white room that connected to _his_ Eren’s room, punching in the passcode. The double doors slid open silently, and he exited, pausing to hear the doors close and continued on his way.

Oh yes, he smirked, a dark look flitting across his face, he would do whatever it takes to have Eren.

\- AoT - SnK -

Eren shivered, the man’s last words echoing in his head, over and over.

_It’s all your fault._

He burrowed into the bed, going under the covers and trying to comfort himself while trapped within the layers of silk. His arms circled around his lean chest, grabbing harshly at the thin white fabric of the shirt. His legs curled in, and he laid there, silent, in a fetal position, breathing rapidly in the enclosed space.

Too much. Too much was going through his mind. This was just like what happened before. That time he saw _that_ video. And every video after that. Too much. Everything just became white noise. And his vision would tunnel in on the blood, all that blood that splashed the camera lens with dark flecks. Except there is no blood this time.

Only him. Alone with his guilt.

Suffocating silence. Non-existing tears that refuse to drop.

Because he had already cried too many times for this guilt.

\- AoT - SnK -

Levi came back in just over an hour, holding a serving plate in one hand with bottles of water and food. The doors slid open for him after he entered the passcode and he raised an eyebrow at the sight before him.

There was a lump on the bed, and he had no doubt as to where Eren was.

“Eren.”

There was no reply and he placed the food and water on the table before approaching the barely moving lump.

“Eren, sweetheart, wake up. It’s time to eat.”

The lump shifted ever so slightly but the boy still refused to respond properly.

“Last warning,” the raven kept his tone light and teasing, not hesitating the least bit to kneel one leg on the bed, one hand settling lightly on what seemed to be the boy’s waist underneath the silk, “Eren.”

Amusement lighted in his eyes when he saw the trembles coming from beneath, dark satisfaction pooling in his gut. Ah, the poor, poor child. So scared and frightened.

“Eren, you will get up right now.”

The lump jolted at the low voice and the boy finally slid out from the silk covers, albeit reluctantly.

“Well, wasn’t that easy. I’ve brought you water and food,” he informed the boy nonchalantly, moving off the bed to retrieve said things. He dragged the chair to the bedside, finger indicating for the brunet to come closer. There was hesitance in the bleary emerald eyes, but Eren slowly shifted his body under the covers so that Levi was within reaching distance. The raven tapped the chopsticks against the plate of vegetables and steak that had been cut up in small blocks, and picked up a piece of broccoli, holding it close to the boy’s mouth.

“Eat, Eren.”

The look on the brunet’s face darkened considerably.

“No.”

“I’m not going to tell you again. Eat the fucking food or so help me, I _will_ stuff it in your damn mouth.”

“I don’t want to.”

The man’s left eye twitched with irritation, glaring at the boy who was refusing to eat the vegetable held between the chopsticks.

“Eren.”

“I said no,” the brunet gave back an impressive glare of his own, hissing like a cornered cat, “I am not going to be fed like a fucking _dog_.”

“I am not hand-feeding you.”

“You might as well be.”

Levi slitted his eyes, his impatience showing. He got up, placing the food back on the table and swiftly exited the room.

Eren was too confused to even move. Had the man finally given up?

His fear came back when the raven returned, holding questionable objects and what suspiciously looked like a crop of some sort in his hands.

“W-what are you doing?” he managed to whisper, jewel-like eyes huge at the pile of _things_ that had been dumped unceremoniously on the bed.

“Nothing much,” both the cold voice and impassive face revealed nothing, yet Eren could feel _something_ beneath them, something terrifying, “just going to discipline a naughty kitten who doesn’t know what is good for him.”

He scrambled backwards, his heart hitting the bottom as his back hit the headboard.

“S-stay away...d-don’t come n-near me…,” he trembled, a chained wrist rising in a futile attempt to block the approaching raven.

“I’d advise you to stay still and be a good boy,” his captor gave him a chilling look that crawled within his bones, “it’ll make everything less painful.”

He snapped.

Panicking, he tried to roll off the bed and run, completely forgetting his restraints, and he choked harshly against the collar, not even getting one foot on the ground as Levi pulled the boy back to him with a firm grip. The raven swiftly pounced on the frightened boy, quickly capturing his legs beneath him and arms above his head.

“Let me go! I’m telling you to let me go!” the brunet thrashed against the iron grip and heavy weight, his sense of reason gone and his body screaming for him to escape. He didn’t want to be in any part of this and desperate, he bit harshly on the thumb the raven had attempted to push against his lips.

Levi hissed, drawing back his right hand yet keeping a firm grip on his prey with the other, and inspected the wound with distaste. As much as he liked blood, he wasn’t particularly fond of it when it was his own. His silver eyes gleamed with something feral as he turned them on Eren, and the boy couldn’t stop the sudden feeling of freezing cold, spreading from his chest, and he ceased his struggling, his face shifting to the side to avoid that chilling gaze.

“Look at me, pet,” the raven said with an ominous undertone, grabbing the boy’s chin with surprising force to face him, “naughty boys need to be punished. It would do well for you to get used to it if you don’t want it happening more than necessary. Although a little pain always does well to put pets in their place.”

Eren didn’t like the smirk that formed on the man’s face, the flits of lust and want within those orbs darkened by sin. He swallowed a whimper and averted his eyes once again, only to gasp when the raven flipped him over, leaving his face pressed against the pillow. The dreaded click before the release of his wrists left him pulling against the new hooks that linked together his cuffs and he had to lean on his elbows to regain his balance.

“Oh no, kitten, get back down,” Levi drawled slowly, in a lazy manner, and pushed the boy back down so that his behind was high up in the air, legs slightly spread to prevent himself from falling over, “you’ll need to stay in that position for a while.”

Eren tensed, his breath hitching in his throat; just what did the man want to do to him?

The raven moved quickly, placing two pillows under his jewel’s torso to hold him up and studied his handiwork with satisfaction. How enticing it was, to have his prey in such a seducing position, all open and ready for him. He temporarily released the chains to the ankles and slipped a finger into the band of the briefs, indulging himself in the squeaks and protests of the brunet as he pulled it down the long tan legs, allowing his hand to stray a little too close to the sensitive inside of those thighs before getting them off and tossing them to the side. As fast as he had removed the chains, he reattached the cuffs to a bar, keeping the boy’s legs wide open. Eren winced and tried to drag his legs back together, but he could barely move an inch in this position and he cursed inside.

The brunet felt so exposed, his rosebud puckering up against what seemed to be cold air. Mumbled complaints left his mouth and he berated himself for the tears that he had trouble keeping in. Unknowingly, his struggles against his new bonds had his hips swaying from side to side, and the raven licked his lips.

How cute. His kitten was getting more desirable by the minute.

“Now get ready my love…”

The words barely left Levi’s mouth before the first strike came and the boy squealed, flinching back from the sharp strike of the leather crop, a painful red lash mark forming on his behind. It stung and the brunet whimpered, suddenly too dazed to process anything. All he knew was that he was in danger and that it hurt, so badly.

The second strike was aimed right at his entrance and he full-on screamed this time. The excruciating burn was too much for Eren and the first of many tears trickled down his face. He choked back a sob, choosing to bury his face in the pillow to hide his sign of weakness.

“Crying now, are we? Absolutely adorable…,” Levi whispered darkly, his cock beginning to harden with pleasure at the sight of his prey in pain, so fragile and breakable. Intoxicating.

Ragged breathing smothered by the thick pillow echoed the room and the brunet tried to make sense of his situation, his body tensing more than ever. A cold finger traced down his ass, and he muffled the small moan from the brief moment of relief of that sensation, the ice that temporarily settled the rising flames.

“Now, how many times should we do this, pet?” the raven asked in a low, teasing voice, “Maybe twenty, four for every year you made me chase you, and three more for disobeying me?”

He waited for an answer, but he knew he wouldn’t get one. He knew better than anyone else the bite of a whip or a crop against untouched skin. It was agonizing.

After all, he still remembered the first time that foul woman had started teaching him. A gun before a pencil. Blood before ink. Sin before purity. Pain before happiness.

_“You’ll never survive in this world with skin like that.”_

He slowly trailed the leather crop down the round globes and prepared for the next strike, his wrist snapping back and the crop flying forward in a black blur.

_That’s right. This is all for you, Eren. You cannot and will not die while you are mine._

\- AoT - SnK -

He bit onto the pillow, waiting for what seemed like forever for that next strike. It hurt. It hurt so much. It felt like his ass was on fire and his legs trembled from keeping his waist raised. The brunet was already tipping forward, letting all his weight onto the pillows when the crop struck him again.

He screamed into the pillow, the tears leaking non-stop from the corners of his eyes.

The next few came one after another, with no time for respite. The slapping sound of the crop and his muffled screams filled the room, the occasional sob breaking through the rapid gasps of breath.

The last strike came down hard and he couldn’t bear it any longer. His sore jaws released the pillow and he shuddered, one last cry of pain piercing the otherwise silent room. Snot ran down his nose and his eyes were screwed shut.

“Have you learned your lesson, pet?”

His head was pulled back by a firm but gentle grip, his neck and back arching like a polished bow.

Never mind the lesson. He just wanted the pain to be gone.

The brunet nodded slightly, a small nod that nevertheless satisfied his captor.

“Now be a good boy and apologize.”

Eren paused. Apologize?

Flashes of those videos suddenly went through his mind, the grisly scenes of blood and gore.

He grit his teeth, tears still running down his face as he shook his head. He wouldn’t apologize. He expected a slap, a punch, another strike, anything, when the hand let him go and he fell face-first into the tear-soaked pillow, letting out a small cry of surprise.

“Good. I didn’t expect you to.”

He felt the pillows being dragged out from beneath him, letting his exhausted body collapse onto the covers. The last thing he felt before losing consciousness were those pale, cool fingers, tracing over every part of his body.

Strangely enough, it felt good.

\- AoT - SnK -

Levi traced down the dip of his prey’s back gently and methodically, following the lines of the slim, lean body and just enjoying the feel of the soft, smooth skin against his fingertips.

Those screams had been so beautiful, it was a shame he hadn’t taken advantage of the situation. He could’ve made the brunet writhe at his feet with pleasure despite the pain, but he didn’t. The boy had something that he once had, but had lost in the many years that followed. The him right now was an empty shell, a state that was perfect for his current position, but that light drew him in.

A part of him wanted to destroy that light, to crush it into oblivion so that his prey would not be able to live without his pleasure, yet the other part of him had something disgusting stirring. Something warm and foreign; it had been unpleasant at first, trying to accept it, but over the five years, it had more or less somehow settled in a corner inside him. And he knew he would miss it if it were ever gone; no matter how much he would try to deny it, he knew he would beg, get on his own two knees or even travel to the other side of the world just to have it back.

He got off the bed, his fingers lingering on that soft skin before swiftly entering the bathroom, turning the knobs at the edge of the circular soaking tub, making sure that the water was borderline hot, but not too hot to harm the brunet’s new marks. Going through the selection of oils he had prepared in the drawer underneath the marble tabletop that had a rounded bathroom sink, decorated with a unique design of clear blue and green stones on the bottom. He selected the bottle with lavender, pouring in a copious amount in the water that was slowly gathering and mixed it in thoroughly. As he waited for the water to reach the top, he went back to the bedroom, quickly releasing the boy from the manacles and carried him bridal style into the bathroom, only having to wait for a few seconds before he gently placed him in the tub, the water spilling over the edges as he settled the boy in. The boy unconsciously hissed and cringed when his bottom made contact with the water and Levi made sure to grab a soft towel, raising the brunet once more to place it under. He rested Eren’s head gently on a waterproof cushion attached to the edge of the tub and rolled up his own sleeves before grabbing a sponge to slowly clean off the filth from the boy’s body. 

Eren twitched and mumbled in his sleep, his eyebrows scrunching up as his head thrashed from side to side.

Levi smirked out of amusement as he pushed aside the soft brown hair and brought some water to wash away the stickiness of the tear-stained face, then meticulously rubbed the sponge over the boy’s torso and finally moving on to his arms and legs. When he reached his bottom, he did a few quick swipes, his face remaining stoic even when the brunet flinched within his grasps and tried to get away from whatever was irritating his wounds.

_Just like a child._

And as much as he hated to admit it, he was obsessed with tearing apart the innocence and naïvety that the boy possessed - so headstrong and fierce, yet still so fragile and breakable.

He brought out a large cushion, similar to the one Eren had laid on before, and brought the boy out from the tub to lay on it. Fetching another towel that was made from the best Egyptian cotton, specially ordered and delivered, he started drying the brunet, running his hand through the towel across smooth tanned skin and lean muscles developed from a year of running away from the silver-eyed man, and coincidentally learning some parkour skills along the way.

Eren had always been quite flexible and durable from what he had observed. All the better for the things he had going on in his mind for the past five years.

He finished off drying the brunet and dropped the towels and cushion into a basket located near the tabletop, then carried the still unconscious boy back to bed, only to grimace when he saw the state the sheets were in. It was an abominable sight. Glancing at the limp body in his arms, he pursed his lips, wondering where he should place the brunet. Maybe he should’ve gotten a sofa as well…

Reluctantly, he went back to the bathroom to drag out another cushion from among the several extras he had in the cabinets to the right of the sink along with a pile of towels all folded neatly and precisely into perfect squares.

Leaving the brunet on the cushion, he dragged the dirty bedsheets, encasing the pillows and sex toys within, then swiftly left the room to drop off the dirty laundry and retrieve another set of bedsheets with several pillows. His movements were all done in a calculated manner, fingers running along barely existing creases as he placed a fresh bedsheet on the mattress and spread the covers, finishing off with the pillows placed symmetrically against the headboard. Satisfied, he went to pick up Eren, placing him with care on his stomach so that his backside wouldn’t suffer too much, and situated the pillows comfortably around him. He reattached the cuffs to the hands, but left the ones for the feet off.

The brunet was breathing evenly in his sleep by now, but Levi didn’t miss the occasional whimpers that escaped from time to time. Silently, he got off the bed to fetch a soothing balm he had stored in the bathroom, returning to climb on the bed and dip his fingers in the slick, viscous substance. It was cool to the touch and the heavy scent of honey filled the room. The thought that the brunet might have tried to lick the balm just because of how good it smelled made him chuckle as he ran his fingers lightly over the boy’s bottom, making sure to cover every inch of skin that had been touched by crop, slipping his pinky in the crease between the two globes and gently teasing the inflamed bud.

Eren moaned uncomfortably in his sleep; the balm was soothing to his skin that had previously felt on fire, but he couldn’t get used to the probing fingers, much less where they were touching.

He squirmed, shifting on the sheets while mumbling a whole string of expletives under his breath as he hugged the pillow tighter and burrowed into the soft surface, taking in the fresh scent of lavender.

Levi’s breath hitched as he watched the tanned body move in tantalizing motions and he stiffened. His pale hand reached forward but paused in midair; just one touch right now would be poison. A poison that would seep into his sense of rationality and reason and corrupt his mind to a point of no return. He drew his hand back.

No. He would not ruin everything he had planned in the past five years just for this short moment of lust.

He slid off the bed, noting that he would have to get another shirt and pair of briefs for his prey, before taking the plate of food and leaving the room. The echoes of his footsteps were cut off as the doors hissed closed behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any mistakes you spotted (because let's face it, we're pretty lenient when we skim through our own works ^_^) or suggestions, feel free to comment below -- I'll reply ASAP; provided I have wi-fi :)
> 
> Until next time \\(^_^)/


	6. A Beautiful Yet Cruel World (Eren)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "This may be a dog-eat-dog world, where justice cannot always be brought down on those who deserve it, but we’re still here, and we’re still breathing. As long as we’re alive, we’ll be able to do _something_ against _him_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooooo...
> 
> Hello? Bonjour? 你好?
> 
> Back with a chapter that is quite, quite late, but after receiving another message, I went back to look and, voila!, there was actually enough material for another chapter to be published.
> 
> While I do realize that the pace is quite slow with the previous few chapters since there have people who want to go back to the present (don't worry, me too), just be warned that this chapter will be completely in the past. That was the dark news (dark news? bad news?). So, read on, if you are still reading this story (and if you are, thanks!) and I hope you enjoy :)

_\- Five years ago -_

A shadow flickered in the corner, making him jump and gasp, staring intently at that one corner where darkness seemed to slowly spread, engulfing the surrounding light.

He shook his head. His eyes were merely playing tricks on him. That’s right. _He_ wouldn’t be here.

_Would I?_

His hands scrunched up the black fabric of his mourning clothes and he struggled to focus his eyes. He couldn’t see and he couldn’t speak; all his crying and sobbing for the past week had finally taken its toll.

“We are gathered here today to mourn for the deaths of Jean Kirstein and Marco Bodt, two extremely bright young men who became the unfortunate victims of a gruesome murder.”

The voice of whoever was speaking on stage made its way around the room, and Eren found it rather annoying. It was too loud.

Silence. That was all he wanted right now. Silence, so he can slip into his deep ocean of thoughts and allow his guilt to drag him down; because he knew exactly why they were killed.

_Ah, so smart, my love; it was all because of you._

A choked breath left his lips and he jerked back in fright when a cool hand landed on his shoulder.

Grey eyes peered at him with worry, thin fingers tugging at a bright red scarf that contrasted sharply against her pale skin.

“Eren? Are you alright?”

“M-mikasa! You scared me,” the brunet mumbled as he relaxed under her touch.

The raven-haired girl glanced at him with worry, her hand going up and down his back in a soothing motion.

“...do you want to leave?”

The boy shook his head fiercely.

“This is the least I could do right now. I know I will forever regret it if I start running away now.”

Mikasa retracted her hand hesitantly and turned back to the front.

“Just remember. The least _I_ can do now for _you_ is to be by your side. So are the others. Don’t try to take all the blame for yourself.”

_But how can you not?_

_After all, had you not resisted, would they not still be alive?_

_Right, my dear Eren?_

The brunet shivered with fear, gasping for air, his voice coming out low and desperate. It was almost as if he could feel the feather light touches all over his body, that deep, sinful voice ghosting by his ears.

“I don’t understand. Why me? Why? What did I do wrong? Why is he so latched onto me? I don’t want this. Why-!”

“Eren!” Mikasa hissed and caught his hand firmly, tightening her grip just enough so that he would pay attention to her, “You idiot. I already told you, this isn’t your fault. You can’t change the past. What’s happened has already happened.”

The brunet stared at her, a lost look on his face.

Her eyes softened and she enveloped the distraught boy in a tight hug, her lips leaning close to his ear.

“Please. You’re not the only one who feels guilty. I feel guilty as well. The whole 104th Squad feels guilty,” she whispered, gesturing to where the rest of the Squad was, “so please understand that we’re all here to support each other. This may be a dog-eat-dog world, where justice cannot always be brought down on those who deserve it, but we’re still here, and we’re still breathing. As long as we’re alive, we’ll be able to do _something_ against _him_. Even if it’s something small, something perhaps otherwise insignificant, but at least we will have a purpose.”

She felt the wetness soaking through the cardigan that accompanied her black dress but she paid no mind to it, “Eren...you know I see you as my brother. Even if this world is cruel and merciless, it is still very beautiful. I don’t want you to be consumed by self-hatred. So please. Don’t face this by yourself. We are here for you.”

The wordless nod made her sigh in relief. She patted him on the head, her rare moment of expressed sympathy disappearing into thin air.

“Raise your head and start facing reality. Guilt and self pity won’t get you anywhere.”

The brunet sniffed, wiping his tears one last time just as the man onstage finally finished his long but meaningless speech. All around them, people were sobbing and sniffling, the parents of the two deceased victims comforting each other at the front. Jean’s mother was hysterical, clinging onto her husband as soundless screams escaped her lips. Mr. Bodt had his wife in his arms, his eyes glistening under the light. The 104th Squad were all piled around each other; even the usually straight-faced Annie was having trouble keeping her emotions under check.

They all lined up to express their final partings to the deceased, though the caskets were left closed; the embalming services could not gather enough of what remained at the crime scene to present their bodies at the funeral. Despite the positive prospective earnings of the career, at least three interns had been unable to digest the scene and immediately quit the job. The remaining employee had been an old man in his 60s. Unlike the others, he just quietly did his job and politely expressed his sympathies.

The basement where they were found in had been even more terrifying than a scene out of a horror movie. It wasn’t the amount of blood that was disgusting, rather it was actually minimal, the only traces of blood left behind being on the bodies; strangely enough, all the excess blood had been meticulously cleaned up. No, the most horrifying view had been the bodies themselves. Both had been strung up in midair, bodies brutally cut into thin strips and cleanly dissected of their innards which were neatly lined on the table below. Their skin and muscles were peeled nearly to the bone but their heads had been placed in the middle of the table, surrounded by the innards, the eyeballs remaining untouched though they were missing their noses, lips and cheeks. The mouths had been slit wide open from side to side, imitating a smile, a disturbing contrast against what remained of them.

The police had been insensitive enough to show the pictures to Eren and the Squad to supposedly ‘dig’ for information and clues until Eren’s mother had put her foot down and berated them harshly for taking such actions; her years spent as a nurse dealing with numerous difficult patients were not wasted.

Needless to say, school had been postponed and they had been excused of their finals; it wasn’t as if their grade eight final marks were that important. The trauma from the murder was much more heavy and irreparable. All had been shaken to the bone.

The murder was all over the news at one point and the Bodt and Kirstein households had several groups of reporters camping outside their homes until the police forcefully removed them a day later.

Eren refused to accept that they had died, at least not until Armin had slapped him hard in the face, his own stained with tears, blotchy and red, and shouted at him to ‘stop bitching and start facing reality’. It had aroused a bitter laugh from him; the blonde was the one who was the second closest to Jean after Marco. Armin had never been able to realize his own thoughts into words after seeing how happy the two were together. He was just that kind-hearted and innocent in the world of love.

Everyone was a mess. Everything was in chaos. And unconsciously the brunet knew that in the eye of the storm was where he should be. Where _he_ was waiting.

\- AoT - SnK -

_\- Four years ago -_

It had been a warning. A warning that had purposely hit closer to home than what he would have expected.

And it worked.

He switched to online schooling for the entirety of grade 9 and even then, there was the constant fear of being watched, fear for the safety of those close to him; there wasn’t a day where he forgot to call each and every of his friends three times a day just to make sure they were still there.

There were the nightmares, the ones that would keep him tossing and turning and begging for help, pleading for mercy until he wakes up in a cold sweat, his eyes unable to discern dream from reality in the darkness of his curtain-drawn room.

His parents became obsessed with his safety. They installed cameras and bugs all over the house shortly after the murder of Bodt and Kirstein, reconstructing the office that was on the second floor into a base where all the screens were placed. Guards, who had their backgrounds investigated thoroughly, were placed outside the house on constant rotation. Eld and Gunther were tasked with staying right outside Eren’s room, the somewhat friendly relationship they had established during the previous four months proving to be a constant reassurance to not only Eren but also his parents.

The days became an endless cycle of fear and hate, but most of all, guilt and anger for the feeling of helplessness, the inability to retaliate. Levi had set forward the first chess piece; now it was his turn. Yet, as each passing day went away with three meals and countless hours being spent on courses, he grew more afraid, more desperate, the sole reason for him not falling into insanity being the presence of his family and friends. Mikasa and Armin were consistent with their daily visits, while the rest of the Squad 

He remained in his self-constructed world of darkness for two years. Though crushed, his spirit slowly rose again, and he yearned to go outside once again; the desire in him to be social, to talk and to be able to interact with people again was so strong that he was able to push aside his fears and cope with his trauma.

_\- Two years ago -_

As he began the online courses for his twelfth year of high school, he applied for a part-time job in the nearby fast food restaurant. It would be simple really, guaranteeing him enough social interaction with the outside world, but at the same time allowing him to integrate himself at a certain distance, to not become overwhelmed.

Eren was overjoyed when the manager Rico Brzenska gave him the job; hell, he had sweated like crazy when he had gone in for his interview. The woman had quite the intimidating aura around her. Mikasa, Armin and the rest of the 104th Squad were also happy for him and often visited him after school. He was doing well, slowly recovering the open nature he had before, a dazzling smile adorning his face every morning. 

At first, by his own request, he was put behind the scenes to prepare the food and handle stocks; he wanted to avoid contact of strangers as much as possible, something that the manager was thankfully able to understand. Everyday was torture in the beginning, each greeting in the morning caused him to jump in fright, every corner in the halls caused him to look back with fear and doubt. He couldn’t stand to be alone with another male who he didn’t know, especially one who was older than him.

There were eight other people who worked there with him on his shifts. Sapphire, a small brunette woman in her late twenties, who was dating Mark, a bespectacled man in his thirties, worked with the raw preparation of the food. She was extremely extroverted, to the point that she had Eren springing for Rico the first time they met. Mark, on the other hand, was the cook and was much more quieter, oftentimes choosing to show his agreement by readjusting his glasses with an intense stare and a small grunt. Trun, Devitt and Cornelia assisted with the final presentation of the food. Trun was the know-it-all of the group, although Eren was severely tempted to call him out on it considering he knew another borderline genius, namely a blonde coconut named Armin Arlert. He never did though, since the man was able to talk a mile a minute, to the point that Cornelia would shoot him a harsh glare and raise her hand in threat to slap him in the face. Cornelia had beautiful long red hair and a feisty temper, causing her to always be on edge with Trun. Devitt, the amiable Portuguese man who always has a mysterious twinkle in his pitch-black eyes, acts as the peacemaker between the two, and surprisingly enough, they listened to him. Soray, a boy only a year older than Eren with light brown hair and light blue eyes mans the counter with his best friend, Kreugel, another boy who is two years older than Soray and was just finishing his second year in university. The two seemed inseparable and frankly reminded Eren of his bond with Mikasa and Armin. There was also the janitor, who Eren rarely saw since the man liked to keep to himself, but from the limited number of times the boy glimpsed him, he seemed to be in his fifties and would always be wearing a cap pulled down low, humming quietly in a deep, throaty voice. They never went beyond the almost obligatory nods and murmurs of ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’.

He started to enjoy working there, the fixed schedule he was slowly adopting. His online courses were going well and his parents were slowly questioning him about any future plans for post-secondary education. For a while, he completely forgot.

It was better that way, wasn’t it?

Forget the pain.

Forget the suffering.

Forget the tears.

Pretend he was someone else. Laugh and smile for the world to see, store everything else away. He relished in the self-deceit, so much that he almost lost his overbearing sense of paranoia, slowly staying out more to spend time with the 104th Squad and his new friends.

But he should’ve known better. Something this nice, so tempting, would never be his. Not in this lifetime.

Three months in and he was slowly fitting in. He was able to save quite a bit from his earnings, considering that there wasn't really anything he wanted to buy. He always kept it in cash; take the cheque to the bank the day he is paid then retrieve the amount as soon as possible. Just in case, he always thought silently to himself, just in case.

He became used to the routine, coming to the fast food restaurant in the morning and helping the team get ready to open the doors to welcome the first wave of customers. He was slowly able to take over for Soray and Kreugel when the two went off to who knows where, although the first time that had happened, he had stumbled over his words so much that when the customers had finally finished their orders, he was literally about to pass out. The only bright side of that was the scolding Rico had given the two afterwards in her office and the tomato red face Soray sported when they came out. Kreugel had been unhelpful with his awkward attempts to explain what they had been doing, and Eren had been torn between laughing or showing sympathy when the younger boy started hitting the older one in embarrassment, telling him to stop running his mouth. In the end, he settled for reassuring them that he would be willing to stand in for them from time to time if they needed another of their little ‘outings’.

He no longer went home early before the sky darkened and he actually started bonding with the workers, but also his personal bodyguards; after that particular incident from last time, the wall between him and the two had somehow chipped away over time and soon, he chatted with Eld and Gunther as though they were part of the 104th Squad. Things were slowly falling back into place as one month passed, followed by another. By the time it was June, he had fully graduated from high school a year early. He even had plans for university; after a talk with his parents, they decided that he would apply in the winter and enter the next autumn session after he has fully turned 18. A year of working would do him good and he would also be able to save up quite a bit to cover his daily spendings in university.

It was peaceful. Quiet.

Too quiet.

It first began with small accidents. A customer got food poisoning. Soray and Kreugel got involved in a hit and run, and the smaller boy had to deal with a fractured wrist for eight weeks. A flower pot barely missed Cornelia’s head when she headed in for work. Sapphire and Mark were hit by another car and while they escaped with only minor injuries, their car was completely destroyed. The old man was robbed on his way home at night and suffered from back pains so severe that he had to call in for a month off. Trun fell down the stairs and had to be hospitalized for a few days.

By the end of July of the second year, all of the workers whom he had interacted with had one way or the other encountered some kind of misfortune. Devitt was the only one who had managed to avoid anything serious and became the sole source of comfort everyone could rely on. His easygoing smile and casual way of interacting made them feel safe, that everything was still alright.

But that only made Eren feel worse. He couldn’t brush off the feeling that somehow, it was because of _him_ that his new friends were getting hurt. Slowly, he got more nervous, requesting for shifts that started in the morning and ended before the sky got dark. Gunther and Eld sensed his change immediately. At first, they had tried to reassure him, but it didn’t help. The nervousness had destroyed his focus to the point that he chose not to sign up for university and instead began to earnestly save up money, lengthening his shifts for as long as possible. All the accidents became reminders of what he had seen before, the warning he had received.

_You’re mine. Only mine._

On the second of August, he received a call from Cornelia.

_“Eren? Are you there?”_

“Cornelia? What’s wrong? Did something happen again?”

_“It’s...it’s Trun. H-he was involved in an accident.”_

He stood there, frozen for what felt like an eternity. It was happening all over again. Immediately, he asked for the hospital location and rushed there, Eld and Gunther following right behind him, only to see all his co-workers standing in front of the ICU in silence. Devitt gave him a slight shake of the head, indicating that things weren’t going well so far. He had to cling onto the plastic chairs by the wall as he stumbled before his knees could hit the floor.

Another one. Just how many more?

The head surgeon came out soon after and everyone crowded around him in a panic to know the results, Cornelia especially desperate with makeup and tears running down her face as she clung onto the bloodied green gown of the man.

“He’s stable for now. But he’s in a coma and we don’t know when he’ll wake up.”

Eren choked. He didn’t know whether he should be grateful that his co-worker had survived or guilt-ridden that Trun would remain in a coma for an indefinite amount of time. To have potentially caused such misfortune, to have possibly ruined the entirety of a person’s life...it was terrifying. He couldn’t bear the guilt.

For the next three weeks, he visited the room where Trun had been hospitalized daily, praying desperately for the man to wake up, for everything to right itself again. His bodyguards took turns, one to guard him and another to go back, report and rest, the level of security and cautiousness increased to assure Carla of his safety.

Not one person of their shift could properly work at the fast food restaurant; they were all too restless and distracted to face customers at the front, so people from other shifts had to be called over. 

One week passed, followed by another and another. Eren was at his wit’s end. It had become a bet against himself. If Trun woke up, he would continue to resist. If Trun were to remain asleep forever…

\- AoT - SnK -

August twenty-fifth had Eren stop in front of the plain white sliding door that he had become accustomed to seeing for the past three weeks. Hesitantly, his fingers caught onto the groove that allowed the door to be pulled open.

Did he really want to go in? Three weeks of no response. Would his presence even make a difference?

He walked in mindlessly, taking off his jacket and sitting on the foldable chair left beside the hospital bed where the man laid, silent and still. With soft murmurs of apologies, he held Trun’s hand, relishing in the warmth that was present. He was still alive.

“Please wake up, Trun...we all miss you so much.”

A finger twitched in his own hands and Eren stiffened.

“...Trun?”

The chair clattered to the ground as Eren stood up, grasping the shoulders of the comatose man. Trun’s eyelashes fluttered as brown irides showed up as thin strips around wide-blown pupils.

“Huh...wha…?”

And at that moment, he couldn’t deny that small spark of defiance that had been lit when the man stirred, dazed and incomprehensive, but nevertheless, alive and breathing and awake. He gave the man a tight hug, ignoring the weak protests before he stepped back and let out one last bitter smile.

“I’m glad you woke up. Thank you, and…,” he spoke softly as he headed to towards the door, “I’m sorry.”

The door slid shut, the ominous click of metal against metal leaving the just-awakened man staring at the seat where the other had previously been sitting in, confusion written across his face.

A sigh of relief slipped from the chapped lips of the brunet and he stumbled into the supporting arms of Eld with Gunther following close behind.

“He’s completely awake, I presume?”

“...yes. He is. Did you call for the nurse?”

“Gunther did. We were right outside.”

“...thank you. Let’s go home.”

\- AoT - SnK -

Eren sat in the plastic blue chair that was connected to two more seats on either side. A small navy backpack was placed on his lap and tickets were clutched tightly in his right hand. He had all of his money with him, the money he had spent the last two years earning, around $30,000. Two-thirds of it were with the medium-sized suitcase he had left with the check-in, and the last one-third was on him, some in his wallet and the majority stashed into the several pockets on his outfit.

It was already nighttime and a clear voice sounded over the speakers, calling for passengers to start boarding.

He sighed, there was no more time left for regret. He had made his decision.

The brunet stood up and headed towards the counter, handing over the tickets he had secretly bought with his father’s card.

While four years late, this was his response to _him_. This was his move.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...alright, I'm totally ready. Totally ready for any complaints, comments, criticisms and all that (of course, a pleasant comment with constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated~).
> 
> If you didn't understand the last sentence of how 'he made his move', it is referring to how Levi had made his move first, and now Eren is responding. Even if he _is_ just running away.


	7. A Never-Ending Cycle (Levi)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He would let Eren run for now. Let him have a taste of the freedom he so desired. And when he finally turns 18...the boy will run back to him and enter his embrace.
> 
> He would make sure of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back!! And look, I think I've made a big improvement from last time with only a two-month absence! (Alright, alright, I apologise for my tardiness, my lack of efficiency, my slowness, my --- etc.)
> 
> But...research. Oh goodness, the research, if there is anyone actually reading the author's note right now, writing is in full need of research. Even when it's a fanfic. Yes. I'm beginning to understand my friend's pain when they tell me that they had to go back I-don't-know-how-many episodes in an anime that has a couple hundred episodes in order to do research on the specifics. Of course, I can't use this as an excuse (haha, I'm still sticking with the exam excuse -- although it _is_ true).
> 
> If there are any errors, grammar or just something that somehow seems off, feel free to leave a message or email me :) Since I do just look over it by myself (and sometimes reading it out loud when no one's in the house, I shall confess) there is bound to be something I missed. Or made a mess of.
> 
> But either way, here's another chapter of "Imprisoned Prey"! Hope you enjoy :)

_\- 7 months ago -_

If he were to be honest with himself, it hadn’t been a surprise that his prey would attempt to run from his affections. Who ever said it was going to be easy for him in the first place?

Levi casually slid the sharp end of the knife across wrinkled skin, twitching his nose when he hit the artery and the blood sprayed all over his apron.

Disgusting. Filthy.

He picked up the mountain of paper towel left unstained and wiped the blood off his face before cleaning the blade. Huh. He would have to sharpen it again sometime.

Placing the knife aside, his eyes flitted to the dead man on the table, an old employee of one of his clients.

“Ah, what a pity, Mr. Rodriguez, seems like I’m in a bad mood today. Poor scum, had you not angered your boss with your smart mouth, you might have lived a bit longer.”

He began the slow methodical process of cleaning up the mess, wiping away the blood and cutting up the man’s corpse so that it could be later disposed of into the depths of the sea to be devoured by the fish. The blood soaked the paper towels and the pungent smell was slowly covered and suppressed by the strong smell of lemon from the detergent he was using. With one last swipe, he cleared the table, the body parts were thrown into the black bag and he placed the bloodied towels into the incinerator along with his gloves, locking shut the metal so that the evidence was destroyed, leaving behind only ashes and dust.

With one last look at the dark room, he flicked off the sole light in the room and hit the hidden switch for access to his mansion.

He would let Eren run for now. Let him have a taste of the freedom he so desired. And when he finally turns 18...the boy will run back to him and enter his embrace.

He would make sure of it.

\- AoT - SnK -

_\- Present -_

Eren groaned as he shifted against the sheets, his brain faintly acknowledging the soreness of his body. Too exhausted to even open his eyes, he frowned in dissatisfaction as he buried himself into the softness that was the pillow.

_Soft...pillow?_

His eyes flew open, all weariness forgotten and he pushed himself up, or at least he attempted to. A sudden shock of pain from his lower back made his arms give out, the chains clinking loudly, and he flopped back onto the pillow. Cursing, he scrabbled for purchase against the soft fabric, offhandedly noting how warm and comfortable it was, and the boy was finally able to pull himself up so that he could at least survey the room.

A quick glance around the dim room showed that the man wasn’t there, but Eren had to squint, his heart pounding in the darkness as he tried to detect even the slightest of movements. Soft grunts of pain escaped when he tried to turn himself over onto his back and the boy could only stay motionless under the warm covers, panting softly while holding back the reflex tears that had welled up. He couldn’t move.

He settled back onto the pillow, revelling in its softness and the fresh scent of lavender. He was so tired, so spent and it was so warm...unconsciously, he snuggled into the material, the rustling of fabric sounding as he rubbed his face against it. His fingers laced through the tangles of sheets, clenching into the pillow. It’s been so long since he’s slept in something so comfortable and the temptation of sleep sang to him as the darkness bled into the edges of his vision, lulling him back to his mental haven where there was nothing but emptiness and silence.

The embracing warmth felt so wrong, but so...safe.

\- AoT - SnK -

His cell phone buzzed at the corner of the bedside table and he let it ring for a few seconds, noting the dark print of ‘unknown’ across the screen, before hitting the talk button. A rather chipper voice sounded, making the man reach for his forehead as he prepared for an oncoming headache.

_“Ah, what an improvement, Levi! That’s three seconds faster than last time, no?”_

“Why do you have this number?”

_“Don’t be so angry, my dear Levi, or you’ll get even shorter. And haven’t you learned your lesson by now? It’s too easy for me to get information on you.”_

“I already told you to get the fuck out of my life.”

_“Come on, Levi, surely you wouldn’t be so cold to me? We have known each other for a long time. Besides, isn’t it by my grace that your little group is still up and running? Any other group would have...disappeared by now if you know what I mean.”_

“I don’t need your bullshit. What do you want? I already told you that I won’t work for you anymore.”

_“Of course not, Levi. I just called because I was curious, you know, since I heard that you’d obtained something...new. Something interesting.”_

Levi stiffened, how had he known so fast? It was impossible for the information to be leaked so soon, he had made sure to take Eren in the most discreet way possible. His eyes narrowed in contemplation, his mind entertaining a rather unwelcome thought.

“You must be going senile. If idle gossip was all you wanted to talk about, then go find someone else.”

_“So harsh...but I like it. Either way, even if you don’t confess, just know that you can’t keep anything from me, Levi. If I were you, I’d be keeping a tighter leash on my subordinates; can’t have them running away now, can we?”_

The man on the other side of the phone laughed, dark amusement colouring the sound. Levi’s grip on the cell phone tightened. A warning? A tighter leash? Dammit, he hated it when that man played with him like this, taunting him as if he were another mere pet to be reigned in and disciplined.

“I don’t need you to worry about me,” he hissed, “why won’t you leave me alone?”

_“You still don’t understand? We were one, and we will always be one. I don’t mean you any harm, after all.”_

Levi snorted contemptuously, “Too late, you fucker. Could’ve done that ten, fifteen years ago. Perhaps then I would be a bit more grateful to your sorry ass.” He ended the call swiftly, bitterness dwelling in his heart as he thought back to when he had still been the weak one, the one who had always been beaten down because of who he was because he was second and seconds only live and exist to serve the first. Mentally exhausted, he ran a hand through his hair and suddenly had the urge to go see Eren. His Eren, who was probably still sleeping on that bed, unconscious but safe and within his grasps.

He shook his head. It would be better for the boy to rest, he needed it. Levi had been a little too harsh with the punishment, not that he regretted it, but he would admit that Eren’s cries of pain had almost made him pause for a second. If only the brat would just listen to him and stop being so stubborn; just one word from Eren and he would be willing to give him nearly whatever he asks for, so long as the brat stays with him and belongs to him.

Although he may seem heartless, he still wanted the boy to be happy, to be satisfied and just smile. Smile and show Levi every part of him, from his moments of stubbornness to his moments of vulnerability, when he needs to cry and let go of his sorrows.

He slid open his phone and dialled another number. The tone repeatedly rang in his ear until a click signalled the pickup of the call.

_“Levi? Why are you calling so late?”_

“I need you and Hanji to do a check. You two are the only ones I can trust completely right now. Do a scan of all those working under us, especially those who are the closest.”

There was a stagnant pause.

_“Why the sudden panic? Don’t you have the boy already?”_

“I don’t want to do this, but it seems we’ll have to anyways. Erwin, you know how much I fucking hate betrayal.”

_“...very well. I’ll go wake up Hanji right now. But this will take some time, you do realize? If I were you, I’d be more cautious right now, in case something does happen.”_

“Yes, I know,” Levi replied, letting a small sigh of relief, “I’ll contact you again later. Tell the group I’m busy right now and will be for the next few days.”

_“Understood. Good night, Levi.”_

The call ended and Levi rose from the chair to walk to the bed, his silent footsteps crossing the wooden flooring. Sitting on the edge, he gazed at the clock that read 3:04 AM and scowled. He would have to rise early to make breakfast for the brat and check his wounds to make sure they weren’t infected. Leaning back, he laid on the bed and covered his eyes with his arm, forcing his breathing to slow down and his mind to rest until even the shadows were no longer visible.

Yes, he would keep the boy chained to him, no matter what he had to do.

\- AoT - SnK -

Erwin grumbled in displeasure as he set the cell phone down and snuggled back under the covers with his partner of nearly a decade. They weren’t officially married, but they were closer than any other married couple out there; there was no need for a government document to prove their bond. His attempts to draw warmth from the other were halted when the brunette shifted around to face him, brown eyes open wide as if it weren’t the middle of the night and he didn’t need his precious hours of beauty sleep.

“Well? What did he say?”

The blond groaned, he knew that the other wouldn’t leave him alone until he had finished explaining everything.

“He told us to do a check. Of everyone. We’ll have to keep everything under tight security so that no one will know.”

“That’s understandable,” Hanji murmured softly, “he just got the boy. It isn’t strange for his possessiveness and his need to protect to go on overdrive right now. Nevertheless, if Levi’s this strung up, there must be something to be found.”

“Either way, this will take some time. Now, sleep. I know you have an endless amount of energy and can stay awake for a week, but I can’t.”

The brunet chuckled quietly as she got closer and entwined her legs with his, allowing the warmth of her body to spread to his and he openly welcomed it, wrapping his own arms around her loosely.

“We’ll see.”

\- AoT - SnK -

Pale, deft fingers played with the phone, spinning it around and around as the man couldn’t help but smirk as he stared down at the city. How cruel of Levi to part yet again with such cold words. It stung, but he barely minded the hurt as he thought of all the possibilities, an unreadable expression on his face as he snickered in the darkness. Oh, how he missed toying with Levi, especially after _her_ death. 

He observed absent-mindedly at the flickering lights of blue, yellow, red, and green. There was an artificial sense of beauty within the scenery, but he knew better than to be lulled into that false sense of security. Years of training had taught him to forever be alert, especially with his position in the hierarchy.

The white towel that hung around his neck soaked in the drips of water that slipped down his short black hair, his bangs mercifully covering his slitted eyes from the never-ending dance outside and slid the curtains closed. The lights somehow aggravated him. He missed Levi, missed having the brooding raven’s presence beside him. Two years of separation had made him weak to the other’s voice and every action. Levi’s ability as an assassin was without a doubt a benefit to his group; but what probably made him even more precious was their bond, a bond that would forever exist even if they were to be separated and remain so.

The man walked towards the bed, letting the cell phone slip onto the soft covers. He reached for the lamp, allowing a soft yellow glow to fill the room as he picked up the thick stack of paper on the bedside table. The photo of a certain brunet stared back at him, lively emerald eyes filled with curiosity.

Eren Jaeger.

The person Levi was obsessed with right now, and he could somehow see why. Great minds think alike, after all. It incurred his own curiosity, inciting the thoughts of another game he could play with Levi. Two years was a long time despite how fast it had passed, and it would be an opportunity for him to satisfy his own growing infatuation with the boy. Levi would run to him as well, it would make things a lot easier for him.

A sigh slipped through thin lips that had curled in a small show of contentment.

Oh yes, this would be the perfect chance.

\- AoT - SnK -

_\- 7 months ago -_

Eren huffed into his hands as he left the McCarran International Airport; the beginning signs of fall were beginning to set in but the skies were still blue and decorated with the occasional fluffy cloud. The temperature was still unbearably hot, at least hotter than what he was used to. His jacket hung over his arm and he fidgeted nervously in his grey t-shirt, simple black shorts, and sneakers. Nibbling his lips out of habit while rubbing his eyes tiredly, he popped a cap over his messy brown locks and headed down the streets of Las Vegas with his backpack and suitcase in tow. Travelling from Nördlingen to Las Vegas had been exhausting, he had only been able to catch about two hours’ worth of sleep in total over the day and a half trip and it had all been split up among the three transfers he had taken.

If he were to be honest with himself, he knew had made a stupid decision. Choosing Las Vegas, where he didn’t have any contacts nor place to start with, it was just jumping from the frying pan and into the fire. In his entire life, he had only left the town of Nördlingen twice, once when he was seven years old to visit his relatives in Paris and once when he was twelve years old to tour the city of Las Vegas and the Disneyland that was nearby. He would prefer to not involve his family anymore, extended or not, and in the end had chosen the only other place he knew, Las Vegas.

Carefully, he patted down the secret pockets he had sewn into his clothes and jacket, making sure that the money that he had painstakingly transferred from euros to US dollars was still there. His wallet was in the very outer zippered compartment of his backpack but he had only placed a maximum of $200 in case it got stolen. He would have to be careful, there was no saying what could happen in these streets. From the last time he had come here, about five years now, his parents had made sure that he realised just how dirty and filthy humans could be; a warning for him to take to heart. The juxtaposition of the beauty of the city as a whole against the ugliness hiding behind the individual streets had been quite the sight for the young boy who was only just entering puberty. Fascination had overtaken his mind, the bright lights, the flashy costumes, the things that his mother had tried to cover his eyes from but his father had held her back from doing so. Nevertheless, the nighttime sceneries of Las Vegas were forever embedded into his mind; he could still remember himself marvelling at the fountain show in front of the Bellagio and secretly peeking at the casinos his parents had led him through in order to reach their hotel room.

He secured the jacket tightly around him, hauled up his backpack so that it was no longer supported on just one side, and tightened his grip on his suitcase. He didn’t want to waste money on a taxi and honestly, it would only take him about an hour to get to the hotel he had set his eyes on. He would rest for the day and start job hunting tomorrow morning. Hopefully, he would be able to find a job at a restaurant or small business, even if he has to do some manual labour, and earn enough just to get by and maybe rent an apartment nearby.

The small bouts of gentle breezes weren’t enough to cool him down from the heat of the afternoon sun. By the time he neared the Strip, he was sweating profusely, to the point that his t-shirt had turned a dark grey. The brunet paused for a second to reach for the water bottle he had filled up back at the airport. With slow, unsteady hands, he twisted the cap open and poured in the lukewarm water, moaning quietly as the dryness of his throat was temporarily soothed. Twisting the cap back on, he placed it back into the side pocket of the backpack and started forward again, occasionally referring back to a piece of paper that he had printed all the information on. His eyes roamed as he took deep breaths. Had the sidewalk always been this bright? The crowd around him surged against him, one side going forward and the other going backwards. He blinked forcefully, trying to gain back a sense of stability. There was so much noise...so many colours…

He swooned, his grip on the suitcase shifting so that he could lean on it. His limbs suddenly felt much heavier than they were when he left the airport and his head dipped forward as though a mysterious force were pulling him down.

“What...the…”

His vision doubled, then tripled. Eren squinted in a desperate last attempt to make sense of the world around him.

“Eren? Eren!”

A familiar voice called out to him and he tried to turn towards the sound only to realise his mistake too late. He lost his grip on the suitcase and the ground somehow seemed much closer; was that just him or was this just the norm? He braced himself for the impact only to choke back when two arms caught him before he could smash his face in. The sudden movement was too much for him and he could only fit in one last thought before his eyes rolled back.

_Ah. I’m such an idiot._

\- AoT - SnK -

“Where is he? Dammit, Grisha, you tell me right now where my child is!”

Grisha Jaeger dipped his head as he tried to console his desperate wife.

“And what were you two doing? You were supposed to guard him! To protect him!” She swirled around to face the two guards who both had a hard time meeting her enraged face.

“We apologise for our oversight, ma’am. We have already started filtering through the video feeds,” Gunther reported quietly, but even then, his every word was heard by Carla.

“What’s taking you so long? There has to be some record of him buying something!”

“Not if he used cash,” Grisha cut in calmly as he adjusted his glasses.

“Cash?” Carla repeated and turned back to her seemingly almost indifferent husband, “Grisha Jaeger, you and I both know the unlikeliness of that!”

“It would have been the most effective method to avoid leaving a trail. Most people use credit cards these days to buy things, but that leaves an obvious trail to find. By using cash, it is less likely for them to be found; there is usually quite a few who choose to buy a last-minute plane ticket before the deadline for a flight.”

“...Plane ticket? Just how did you know it was a plane ticket?” Carla narrowed her eyes on Grisha and she stepped forward to face the man despite being a good head shorter than him.

“That was the most logical conclusion. Knowing Eren, he would have tried to get away as far as possible. A plane would have been the easiest method,” Grisha answered, his right hand reaching up to fiddle with his glasses again.

“Get out.” The woman barked briskly at the other two men in the room and they gladly left the room to return to their processing of the video feeds. She then looked up at her husband, her fury evident as her brows scrunched together fiercely.

“You. You’re hiding something from me, aren’t you? Don’t give me that crap about logic, I don’t care about that right now. I want Eren back. He’s safe here, where I can constantly see him and know exactly where he is,” she hissed in a low, dangerous tone of voice.

“And let those around him die? Carla, he would only be a sitting duck if he were to remain here.”

“A sitting duck he may be, but safe nonetheless. Grisha Jaeger, he’s my only child! My precious baby whom I raised since birth! I can’t have him taken away from me like this!” Carla was on the verge of tears and she grabbed Grisha’s collar with pent-up frustration, “I know he is trying to sacrifice himself and that scares me! I am aware of how far he could go in his foolish attempts of self-sacrifice, and I want to prevent that from happening. He may think that he is protecting his family and friends, but his absence does not change the fact that we are his weak point. As a mother, I could care less about who dies because of him, his safety is my priority!”

Grisha remained silent as his wife beat his chest and the dam inside of her was finally broken as tears streamed down her face in endless rivulets; each hit was nothing more than a forceful push that barely made him shift from his place, yet somehow they felt heavy. So heavy that he could almost hear his own walls slowly cracking from the building pressure. The card that was in pieces laying in the collecting compartment of the paper shredder suddenly flashed in his mind and he could only close his eyes as he allowed Carla to vent her anguish out on him.

_I’m sorry, Carla. Forgive me._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...so how was it? (XD, and to think this whole thing was originally all supposed to just end with chapter one as a oneshot...)
> 
> Comments, criticisms are all welcome -- feel free to point out any errors -- I'll appreciate the help and feedback.
> 
> That's all for now, until next time ^_^


	8. The Correct Approach (Eren)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Was this how ‘normal relationships’ were?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm baaaaack. And I'm hungry. I want food. Alright, maybe that isn't the best thing to write at midnight but I'm hungry. And frankly, any scene with any kind of food is making me drool. So I'm going to keep it nice and short.
> 
> Hope you enjoy :)

_\- 7 months ago -_

It was the horrible dryness of his throat that made him wake from his deep slumber and he fumbled for a grasp of reality as his eyes cracked open a centimetre.

“Wha…?”

“You’re awake?”

The soothing deep voice from his right guided his shaky vision and he had to blink several times before his sight focussed. A silhouette appeared and he tried to raise his head, only to be gently pushed back down against the pillow. 

“Rest. You need to rest and recover. Water, too. I’ll go get you a cup right now.”

He groaned miserably, his right arm escaping from his side to cover his eyes, placing a light pressure on them. Soft footsteps approached him and he heard the crisp clink of glass against a hard surface as large hands gently supported him so that his back was leaning against the headboard. The cold rim of the cup pushed against his lips and he parted them to let the cool liquid flow past his lips, hydrating his dry tongue that had felt like cardboard and sliding down his parched throat. The slow tip of the cup allowed him to swallow the water at his own pace until it was completely empty.

“Thank you.” The whispered words of gratitude were not unheard and he felt a firm pat on his head.

“No worries. I need to go get some ice water to cool you down. I’ll be right back.”

The presence left his side once more, followed by the heavy sound of a door closing, and he tried to focus his vision once more. This time, everything seemed much more steadier, not a whirlpool of colours as it had been before. He was in a hotel room, the usual stiff bed with the bedside table that had an electronic clock and a lamp with two outlets at the base. Across the bed was the high cabinet with an HDTV installed at the top, the remote control placed in a paper holder coloured a pale blue. To the right was a full-length mirror attached to the wall and a desk that had the basic essentials along with a leather binder that probably contained all the hotel services. The windows beyond that were covered with heavy curtains, not allowing a single slit of light of slip through.

He glanced at the clock that flashed red digits at him, cocking his head to one side as he squinted at the numbers that read 7:18.

_7:18…?_

His eyes widened as his thoughts became more coherent.

_Shit, how long was I out for?_

The door to the room opened with a whirring sound and Eren’s head swivelled in its direction though he could not see anything due to the ninety-degree angle of the wall. It was shut and a familiar figure came into view.

“Devitt…?”

“Good evening, Eren.” The other man replied amicably with his usual smile as he neared the bedside table and put down the small bags filled with ice. “Are you feeling better now?”

“Compared to before, yes. I passed out, didn’t I?”

Devitt grabbed the chair that was in front of the table to beside the bed and sat down with a small sigh, “You did. Be thankful that I was there to catch you. You were in a state of extreme exhaustion and suffering from dehydration and most likely a mild case of heat stroke. I took you back to my hotel room, as you can see, and did what I could while you were passed out. Fortunately, it didn’t seem like it was anything too serious, so I didn’t call for the ambulance.”

It was a good thing that the man had held back; for once, Eren felt like the goddess of luck was on his side. Had Devitt called for an ambulance, there would’ve been no doubt that his parents would have been contacted and his whole plan to escape would’ve been left in shambles.

“Thank you.”

The man waved his hand gently to tell him it was nothing. A comfortable silence enveloped them as they each waited for the other to begin the line of questioning. In the end, it was Devitt who leaned back on his chair and broke the silence.

“So why are you here, Eren? I thought you would stay in Nördlingen after all that has happened.”

Eren bit his lower lip and avoided looking at the other man. “What about you, Devitt? Las Vegas would probably be one of the last places I would expect you to be at.”

“Ah, a family member got married. I didn’t want to leave until Trun woke up, but unfortunately, I couldn’t refuse the invitation.”

“...I see,” the brunet muttered, mildly aware that he hadn’t even been aware of Devitt’s absence, “you’ve heard that Trun is awake now...right?”

“Yes. I received a call from Cornelia.”

“Are they aware of my…?”

The question was left hanging but Devitt was quick on the uptake.

“No, they are not aware. She did not mention anything.”

His friends at the fast food restaurant were probably still unaware. As for his parents and the 104th Squad, it was more than likely that they had already been alerted of his absence. He stiffened and his breathing hitched; had Devitt notified his parents? His eyes nervously flitted towards the other man and his fingers curled around the cover sheets.

Devitt shook his head. “Relax, I haven’t said anything to anyone.”

“...Right. Right.”

The Portuguese man sighed and stood up. “I will be staying in Las Vegas for a bit longer. You can stay in this room for the night, I don’t want you out of my sight right now considering your physical state. I can sleep on the couch. Can I get the information on hotel you booked?”

He turned sharply towards Devitt. “How did you know?”

“I assumed.” The man shrugged, “Were you planning to sleep on the streets tonight?”

“...No. The papers are in my jacket pocket.”

“Got it. I’ll go delay your arrival and we’ll negotiate with them later for a two person room.”

“Thank you.”

He was too high-strung to process anything too complicated. Just one small thing was setting him off so badly that he could almost feel himself suffocating inside. His hands let go of the sheets as he ran them through his hair and he smothered his face against the covers, taking in that familiar smell that was present in all hotels. Three days of travel had really worn him out, he couldn’t even rile himself up enough to protest Devitt’s decision to keep him company.

Sleep. That was what he needed. He could already feel his mind slipping, barely registering the shutting of the door as Devitt left with his phone in hand. That’s right, Devitt was dependable and someone he could trust. He would rest easy for tonight and pick things back up tomorrow.

Maybe it had been a stroke of luck for him to meet Devitt.

\- AoT - SnK -

_\- Present -_

“I can’t fucking believe I’m doing this…”

The endless mutterings of the raven were quiet but they filled the otherwise empty room that served as his bedroom. His lack of sleep showed with the slightly visible rings under his steel grey eyes that contrasted sharply against his pale skin. With thin lips pressed in a firm line, he ran a gloved hand through his hair as he waited for the call to connect.

_“Yoo-hoo! Dr. Hanji fucking Zoe here! Not that I’m fucking myself, no, although that would certainly be an interesting point of view. Too bad I already have--”_

“Glasses. Shut the fuck up and listen,” Levi hissed through his teeth, his voice borderlining a growl, “God, I don’t know why the fuck I’m calling _you_ of all people.”

_“Well,_ Jesus _, shortstacks, if you have to know, you interrupted my morning workout with Erwin. You know, the whole I get that strap on and get on his case?”_

“I don’t need to know about the fucking weird fetishes _Erwin_ has, Glasses. Frankly, it would be my cup of tea if you were able to keep that shit to yourself.”

_“Language, honey. Oh wait, that doesn’t work on you. Right. You don’t listen. So, what can the great Hanji Zoe do for shortstacks?”_

“Eren. I might have...gone a bit overboard with him.”

_“Well, what did you do? What, did you already walk him through the birds and the bees, you know, physically? Bring it on, shorty.”_

“He’s afraid of me.”

There was a moment of silence. A moment so silent even the quietest Remembrance Ceremony in a high school held under the hawk eyes of all the teachers would have paled in comparison.

_“Levi. The kid’s been afraid of you for five whole years. You can’t just expect him to suddenly turn around and throw himself at you.”_

“Well--”

_“Now wait, Levi. Let me finish. And you know I’m serious since I’m using your actual name -- which I hope you noticed because seriously, when was the last time I actually called you by name? Like, forever? Oh wait, let me correct that. It was after the last round of sex I had with Erwin.”_

“Are you deaf or just unable to understand English? I said that I--”

_“--don’t need to know about the fucking weird fetishes Erwin has, yes, I know, Levi. Now look, I know you have a fucked up past, you hate pretty much everyone, and you just happen to resonate almost perfectly with that one fictional character who’s completely in the shit of life without anything. It’s understandable why your approach is, well, shitty and horrible, to be exact. You’ve never done it before. And I will tell you right now...with how you stalked after him, it’s not strange if the kid’s fucking scared of you. Think about it. Wait, no, don’t think about it, you probably won’t get it. Just long story short, the things you see as normal, he doesn’t. And knowing you, you probably did something all overly dominant-ish on the boy -- you did, didn’t you?”_

Levi didn’t bother gracing the crazy woman with an answer and it seemed Hanji was perfectly aware of that as she continued with only a second’s pause.

_“He’s terrified of you. He’s not used to having someone stalk him, send him bloodstained pictures and bloody fingerprints, kidnap him and suddenly treat him like a prisoner. Point is, and I’ll be blunt, Levi, you fucked things up straight from the start.”_

“And where were you five years ago?”

_“I was taking a wonderful vacation with my honeyboo in Hawaii until shortstacks, you, called us back. For your conquests. You know, him and him.”_

For once in his life, Levi was left without insults for the woman.

“So?”

_“I shall bet on my years of friendship with you and interpret that as ‘how do I fix this wonderful, nasty, little problem that I caused and accumulated myself’ and grace you with a wonderful, beautifully simple, little solution from yours truly. Apologise to the kid, Eren, I can call him Eren, right?”_

“No, you can’t--”

_“Yes, well, apologise to Eren, get your shit in gear and start building some trust. Well, try. Your best. Wait. That sounds kind of lame, even to me. I mean, start giving him some comfort, emotional comfort. Give him some freedom. You shackled him, didn’t you? Yes, you probably did. Oh God, I know you better than I know myself, this should be a fucking lifetime accomplishment that I need to have written on my tombstone when I die. So ditch the restraints, show him some of your remorse and start bonding with him. Like actual bonding, not the hit, ow, hit, ow, that you’re more accustomed to or the ropes and chains. Give me some credit, shortstack, I do have a degree in psychology. Goodness, where’s my coffee? Erwin! I want my coffee! Mixed with tea! And a dash of orange and lemon! In my favourite beaker!”_

Levi pressed the red button and tossed the phone onto the bed.

Was this how ‘normal relationships’ were? He had always innately understood that if he wanted something, he would have to do whatever he needed to do to get it and keep it. It was the unspoken rule in that group, the group where he had been treated as a tool and had no standing nor say other than as the tool that he was.

Glasses and Erwin were clearly in a...healthier relationship, if he could put it that way, but there was not much information he could take from their case. One was batshit crazy, the other was either the next Hitler or Martin Luther King with his smooth talking ways (the way Erwin could talk his way around things, Levi had good reason to not mess with him), and they just met and got it on. No backstory. Just an ‘I see you, you see me, hey you’re weird but hot, let’s go out. Capiche? Wonderful, let’s go’.

What had Glasses said? Apologise and comfort and trust. Bonding. Right. He tugged at his leather gloves. 

Apologise. He could do that. Definitely.

\- AoT - SnK -

“Goodness, where’s my coffee? Erwin! I want my coffee! Mixed with tea! And a dash of orange and lemon! In my favourite beaker!”

“Yes, honey!”

There was suddenly a resounding beep in her ear and Hanji glanced at her phone with furrowed eyebrows.

“Oh. He hanged up on me. Huh. I wanted to share a bit more on my last find with the -- oh, there’s my coffee! With tea! And orange and lemon!”

She threw her hands up in the air, letting the phone fly across the room in a high arc and land with a small thud on the bed, as Erwin came in with a cup and a beaker.

“I wasn’t aware you had a degree in psychology.”

“I don’t,” Hanji hummed a happy little tune as she took a deep sniff from her beloved beaker and shrugged her shoulders, “officially, that is; it’s self-proclaimed. But I do believe I should be accredited with one, a PhD, mind you, considering all the shit I know. I tell you, I could recite those damn studies better than any psychologist out there. With all the ideas I have under my belt, oh, the advancements we’d be able to make on human behaviour and the human body!” She shivered, letting out an excited squeak.

Erwin chuckled at his partner’s familiar antics. “I’m afraid most of your experiments, or studies, shall I say, would be a violation against one, if not all, of the APA Ethical Guidelines.” Hanji gave him a playful glare before returning to her drink. “So what was it that Levi was so desperate to inquire about that he dared to risk a call with you instead of with me?”

Her lips curved into a wide grin, showing all of her teeth lined up nice and straight.

“What do you think? He’s smitten, completely. On that note, you owe me a nice completely paid vacation to a place of my choosing and six months of no paperwork.”

“I suppose I do, perhaps. Not until the end though, sweetie, not until the end.”

Hanji blew a raspberry and wrinkled her eyebrows. “You’re such a sore loser.”

“Only when I need to be.”

\- AoT - SnK -

“Wake up, brat, it’s time to eat.”

The shake to his shoulder disturbed his dreamless sleep and he groaned softly as he shook his head back and forth, wishing to stay in his cocooned warmth for just a bit longer.

“Oi, wake up.”

This time, the shake was much more forceful and the twinges of soreness from his lower back, more precisely his backside, made him cringe and spasm in pain. Eren cracked his eyes open to dim light and a shadow hovering over him.

“Wha…?”

“I said it’s time to eat. I don’t want you starving under my watch.”

His vision focused and he stared off blankly to the side at the sight of the man holding a plate of warm food and a cup of water which was then placed on the bedside table. From within, he could already feel the small rumbles that came from his stomach from time to time. How long had it been since he had last eaten a decent meal, if any at all? Right. Not since he had been kidnapped, however long ago that was.

Suddenly, the man moved closer and reached for his arms. Eren stiffened involuntarily, a brief flash of trepidation of what could happen next. Yet, to his surprise, pale fingers deftly freed his wrists from their shackles before the man moved back a step.

“I...may have used more force than necessary last time.” The man gruffed out with a low voice, his face kept as smooth as possible, but there was a tinge of...something in there. “There’s a button beside the bedside table if you need anything. As for the food, I’ll leave it here.”

As soon as he had finished, the man turned to leave, heading straight for the door.

Eren didn’t even have the energy to try and peek at the passcode that was entered, not that he could in the first place with how much pain he was in every time he tried to move. Without a word of reply, he merely listened silently as the doors closed once more.

Tiredly, he rubbed his face against his arms, quietly noting that the collar was still around his throat but it wasn’t connected to anything. It was snug enough for him to breathe comfortably but it was still a strange sensation for him to have something so constricting around his neck. As he settled in once again into the pillows and blanket, his drowsy mind started to contemplate the series of events that had just happened. It had been too much for him to process at the time but now, now he probably had all the time in the world to do contemplate over it.

Why had Levi been so gentle? What was his purpose? Eren was aware of the strange infatuation the man had with him ever since their first meeting but he had always thought it to be a sort of violent obsession, the case of someone finding a new toy that would be cruelly played with and thrown away. So far, that was mostly the case, yet those small moments of respite, those moments of gentleness and care expressed through actions, not words...they made him waver over his decision. Just like what had happened only moments ago. Was this Stockholm Syndrome? How long does it take for the thing to actually be in effect? Shit, he should’ve put more research into the damn thing when he still had the chance. All those days he had spent, cooped up in his room with his computer...

Or was this all within the raven’s agenda?

He shook his head. No, the care seemed to be genuine, if not a bit rough. But that didn’t mean that he could put aside what the man had done and might do in the future. There was no guarantee, either verbal or physical, of his own safety. From what he had to work on, Levi could only be interpreted as a dangerous criminal, someone he should be fighting tooth and nail against.

So why was he hesitating?

The smell of the food was already permeating the air and his stomach growled miserably. Biting his lower lip, he held back a pained groan as he dragged himself up to reach for the bedside table where the food had been placed. Although the pain had gone away for the most part, his backside was still too sore and tender for him to sit on. With much effort, he was able to support the majority of his legs on the bed and his torso partially on the bedside table. His left arm rested against the wood of the table and dipping his head down, he brought up the plastic spoon and scooped up a bit of the food.

The man had brought him a plate of chicken soup; the small chunks of meat and vegetables were clearly carefully cut and the aroma was not too heavy. Hot steam poured off of the surface and Eren made a few pitiful attempts to blow at the spoonful before he frowned and just shoved it into his mouth.

There was a small muffled gasp of surprise as the hot soup sloshed around in his mouth. It was surprisingly...good. The brunet didn’t know if it was because of his hunger or just because it was really good but the soup tasted heavenly and he couldn’t help but continue scooping away at it until nothing was left. There was a small napkin next to the bowl and he used it to wipe his mouth after, sighing when the paper away with light oil stains. It was only then that he noticed the markings magnified under the glass of water. With a small frown, he moved the cup to one side and took up the small slip of paper.

The pure white slip had only three short words written in elegant script.

_Cleanse your mouth._

Huh. Eren stared at it for a moment, not knowing whether he was admiring the type of writing he’d never have or if he was just blanking out but nevertheless, he grabbed the water and sniffed it, then used the napkin to wipe the rim, making sure to press extra hard. He wasn’t putting it past the man to drug him again and as much as he would have preferred to not have to drink anything, he’s already eaten the chicken soup. Either way, the water was tempting as fuck.

He downed the liquid in less than five seconds, revelling in the coolness that contrasted largely with the temperature of the soup. After that, it was a quick wipe to the mouth with the sleeve of the shirt before he placed the glass back in its place and turning over to lay on his back, only then to remember his aching backside.

“Shit!”

He instinctively rolled back towards the side and curled in on himself, closing his eyes as he was momentarily overwhelmed.

“Dammit...fuck,” he growled lowly as he bit the tip of his finger. If he wasn’t awake before, he definitely was now.

Small pants left his lips as he rolled onto his stomach a minute later and he shifted himself in small movements until he was able to comfortably rest his head against one of the many pillows propped up at the top of the bed.

For a while, he stayed motionless as he let his thoughts run wild.

What was he going to do next? The little amount of freedom he had been given from the lack of restraints served as both a blessing and a grim reminder, that he was free to move but also further emphasis on how he could not escape, at least not in his current state. Whether or not Levi trusted him enough to not run away was not an issue, there was no trust in the first place, only the forceful domination on Levi’s part. It wasn’t like there was enough time to gain the man’s trust. It seemed like Levi was being gentle right now for his actions, if not a bit remorseful, but who knew when he was going to snap the next time?

Deep inside, he already knew how many times he had gone over this but when it comes to being imprisoned, apparently there was no lack of time or silence and he couldn’t help but race over these questions. It wasn’t like he could run away right now. He knew nothing about where he was or how long it has been since his own disappearance. Were there people searching for him? Probably not. He hadn’t even been able to get in contact with his own parents when he had went back. No one to search for him and no one he could contact, not that there seemed to be any way to contact anyone in the first place. 

He was really in deep shit. Definitely suicidal. He mulled over that thought, trying to ignore the soreness of his ass. It was without a doubt that he would have to get out of here somehow, even if it wasn’t now. Information and opportunity, preferably without the sore ass that will most likely cause more than a small fall in any escape attempt.

But right now, it was rest. Rest and recover as much as he could while the man still felt like being nice, get the information, and bolt at the first chance he gets. His fist clenched against the soft fabric. He would get out of this alive. And hopefully still be whole.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaand we're back to falling asleep Eren. But he will move. I promise. He just...hasn't gotten to that point yet.
> 
> (The problem you would discuss with your comrade-in-arms: "My MC is always either falling asleep or falling unconscious every chapter...is that going to be a problem?" "...")
> 
> As usual, comment, feedback, criticisms are welcome :)


	9. A Gentle Cage (Levi)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There was no going back now. There never had been a path for him to retreat onto.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back (from the plague of exams)!! No excuses, but I do have a new chapter? TT 
> 
> Self beta'd so please excuse me if there are any grammar mistakes (trying to update in the middle of the night isn't the best thing to do, especially trying to format the whole thing lol) but it'd be great to point it out for me ^_^
> 
> Please enjoy :)

_\- 7 months ago -_

Devitt came back about half an hour later to inform Eren that he had successfully pushed the check-in time back 24 hours from the original and secured themselves a spot in the hotel for a bedroom with two separate queen-sized beds. He had also brought a light meal, probably from a nearby family restaurant. After helping Eren to the table where he had gotten everything ready, they quickly devoured the udon with ease, content with the lack of words between them.

As Eren poked at the last piece of mushroom that floated in the soup, Devitt began to clean up, putting his own plastic bowl and wooden chopsticks into the delivery bag before heading to the sink to retrieve a small towel. He came back and wiped up his section of the table. At this point, the brunet had quickly devoured the last bit and slurped up the soup. He stuffed his bowl and chopsticks into the open delivery bag and tied it tightly before tossing it into the garbage bin.

“Let’s call it a night. We’ll check out tomorrow at 11 in the morning and head out with the luggage. The hotel you booked won’t allow check in until 2 in the afternoon so we’ll have to hang onto our own luggage until then. In the meantime, we can go rent a car and put everything there. Do you have a driver’s license?”

“No...I never needed one back in Nördlingen.”

Devitt raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

“I suppose it is a blessing you at least learned your English well.”

Eren chuckled tiredly, “Languages were always a lot more easier to learn than anything else. Certainly better than math, physics, and chemistry.”

“Good. Can you head to the shower by yourself or do you need help?”

“I’ll be fine. My luggage is…?”

“In the closet next to the bathroom along with all your other belongings. Fresh towels are in the shelves, just take one out. We’ll be leaving tomorrow anyways.”

“Thanks for everything, Devitt.” The brunet gave the man a half-hearted salute before heading for the what he assumed to be the bathroom.

The dark-haired man stared worriedly at the boy until he disappeared in the corner. Shaking his head slightly, he returned to his task of cleaning the table and then headed towards the small den that was located to the right of the hallway leading towards the front door, right across the door to the bathroom. There was a sofa there just long enough for him to lay down for the night along with another HDTV hooked to the wall. Sitting down on the sofa with a small huff, he leaned back and closed his eyes.

\- AoT - SnK -

Eren rounded the corner and saw the closet that caved in on the left with the sink on the opposite side. His jacket was hanging on one of the many hangers and his luggage was placed on the rack with his backpack on top. He dragged the backpack to the ground, then quickly rolled out the numbers for the password to the small lock holding together the zippers. The lock opened with a quiet click and he secured it onto one zipper before he unzipped the top and opened his luggage.

Everything was packed into small bags, making it clear which was which, and Eren immediately went for the large bag in the top right that contained all his t-shirts and shorts. He pulled out a plain, dark green t-shirt and a pair of white shorts, snatching a fresh pair of briefs. Turning on the lights in the small bathroom, he could see that it was already used with various personal items lining the sides of the table neatly, a loose towel hanging on the rack, and another placed in front of the shower. He placed his clean clothes on an empty spot, far away from the sink, closed the door, then began to strip. His shirt went off first and he stared at himself in the mirror. From a young age, he had always been physically active, always to be the one child that would charge head first into anything thrown at him. After quitting school and switching to online courses, he hadn’t really had the chance to be proactive. He was by no means overweight or unhealthy from the lack of exercise but he could see that he was sorely out of shape. Looking back, he certainly had overlooked that certain point. Being this out of shape, forget about becoming independent, even completing the most basic physical labour jobs would be difficult. He groaned silently; if only he had spent a bit more time to exercise when he had been cooped up in his room. Even a simple workout of daily pushups or sit-ups would have been better than doing nothing. He supposed he would get used to the taxing nature of physical labour after a while but it would be a grueling process in itself.

If he didn’t want to exhaust himself again, he would have to find an alternative. With his mind made up, he clapped his face with both hands and quickly stripped off the rest of his clothes. Stepping into the shower, he fiddled with the knob until it was at a cool temperature and efficiently rubbed his body of all the sweat, dirt and grease that had accumulated after several days of not being able to shower. Beneath his feat, a steady trickle of light grey water flowed into the drain as he cleaned his body, causing him to grimace with discomfort. If anything, his mother’s love for cleanliness had been ingrained into him since he was young and as mischievous as he had been then, even he could not break the habit and preference that had been passed down from his mother. His mother…His eyes misted slightly at the thought of his mother. Carla would be so worried right now. Along with maternal instincts, the fact that he was an only child in the family had meant that the woman was fiercely protective and caring towards him. He regretted not being able to tell her of his decision to leave but he knew that had he done so, his mother would have undoubtedly disagreed and chained him to the bed if that was what it would take to keep him beside her.

Eren shivered as the cooled water flowed along the ends of his hair. Regret wasn’t something he could afford to wallow over right now. He needed to think about how he would survive his decision for independence. If manual labour was out of the question, what else could he do? Tutoring? Maybe find a decent bar and get hired as a bartender like all those characters he saw in movies? A bitter laugh escaped his lips, who was he kidding? No doubt his age would be questioned and he would need to be ID’ed. As for tutoring, even if he were to put out posters, would he even be lucky enough to have someone contact him? Putting aside the lack of physical strength and endurance, this was another aspect he had failed to consider. He knew no one here. The zero amount of connections he had here meant no one knew who he was, which was partially a good thing, but it also meant that he had no credibility. The boy pulled out a fresh towel from the pile stacked neatly under the sink and dried himself off thoroughly before he put on his fresh clothes. Hanging the towel on the hook attached high onto the door, he gathered his dirty clothes and exited the bathroom to place them back into the empty bag he had in his luggage.

“Devitt? I’m done with the shower, you can go in now…?” His voice trailed off when he caught sight of the man sprawled out on the sofa. Devitt was lightly snoring, his lips slightly parted with his head tilted back on the sofa. His hand was over his eyes, shutting out the glow of the already dim lights in the room. There was a small pang of guilt within Eren; the man must have been exhausted after hauling him and his luggage after he went unconscious, not to mention all the stuff that he had to take care of. The boy walked to the bed to gather the top layer of blanket, then tiptoed back to the den to cover it over the man. 

“Thank you. And I’m sorry.”

\- AoT - SnK -

_Red...So much red. In the far distance, he could see a single person standing beneath a blooming cherry blossom tree, dark bangs covering a face that was barely discernable. He tried walking towards the man, each step leaving behind a red imprint that formed an endless trail, but no matter how much he walked, it didn’t seem like he was getting closer. His legs felt heavy with every step forward, weighing him down until he collapsed._

_Until he fell through the red._

A loud slap echoed throughout the room as Eren’s head snapped to the side. He stayed still, shock overcoming his senses.

“Wha…?”

“I apologise,” the man next to him said quietly, “You seemed like you were having a nightmare of some sorts.”

Eren chuckled as he sat up, a bead of sweat trailing down the side of his face. “I wouldn’t exactly say so. A nightmare, that is.”

“...It’s time to get up. We have to go get some breakfast before we come back to pack up.”

The brunet glanced at the digital clock that blinked 8:09 and quickly shook away his sleepiness. Devitt was already heading back to his den to get changed and Eren hurried as well, fluffing up the pillow and brushing off the bed before he set and straightened the covers.

“Devitt, do you mind if I go shower first? I sweated a lot last night.”

“Go ahead, be ready in twenty. We’ll be leaving then.”

“Got it.”

He trotted to the bathroom, slamming the door closed as he stripped in mere seconds and went under the showerhead. The water came down in a steady, gentle stream and he let it fall against his tilted face, feeling each drop that rolled back his forehead and down his strands of hair. 

“What the hell was that…?”

He thought back to the dream, a dream that he could barely recall by now but the feelings that it gave him didn’t disappear. The feelings of hopelessness and dread, and the frustration of not being able to change anything; they swirled within him, even as the details of the scenery disappeared piece by piece. A fist slammed at the tiled wall of the shower and a small hiss escaped his lips. Shit. He really needed to learn another way to express his frustration, preferably a method that wouldn’t involve him bloody in the end.

Eren scrubbed himself off quickly and shut off the shower, then scrambled out to grab a towel to wipe himself off. The clothes he had worn throughout the night were piled on the side. He picked his shirt up and hesitantly took a sniff, his nose wrinkling only the slightest as the scent of fresh sweat lingered. Well, beggars couldn’t be choosers; who knew when he would be able to get a job here and no job meant no money, which also meant no fresh laundry anytime soon. 

By the time he exited the bathroom, Devitt was already waiting by the doorway and fiddling with a set of keys.

“I thought I said twenty minutes?” He raised an eyebrow in a teasing manner.

Eren slid to a stop, his jacket half off his shoulder. “How long did I take?”

“Relax, you only took fourteen. Let’s go.”

The boy blinked before shaking his head and following the Portuguese man.

\- AoT - SnK -

_\- Present -_

“Hey brat. It’s time for breakfast.”

Eren groaned as he curled in on himself, or at least he tried to. A dull pain from behind reminded him to stay flat on his stomach and he cracked open an eye to take a peek. But gods, that smell, whatever it was, was heavenly. 

“I’ll leave it here. I expect it to be empty by the time I return.”

The guy wasn’t going to feed him? He snorted inside. What a turnover from the first time he had been offered food. Nevertheless, it also meant that he was being given a bit of freedom and that he had somehow gotten it through his kidnapper’s thick head that going at it the hard way would never work with him.

He waited for the door to slide shut before he stirred and hoisted himself up to take a peek at what had been brought for him this time.

This time, a bowl of extremely thin rice noodles curled neatly in a thin broth peppered with green onions greeted him. There were three bok choys cut cleanly and placed in a diagonal fashion along the rim of the bowl.

Eren stared at it for a moment. This had to be homemade, right? He shook his head. There was no use pondering over that.

He grabbed the pair of chopsticks placed at the side and began picking up the rice noodle and shoving it into his mouth. No point for finesse, there was no one to pick on him for his habits. His hastiness resulted in his tongue being burned but it was worth it. When he was done, there was once again a cup of water on the side with a small note on the bottom telling him to rinse his mouth. He did so without hesitation and placed everything back in their respective order.

This time, there was a hiss behind him and sharp footsteps that approached the bed.

“I assume you’re finished?”

He couldn’t help but freeze at the voice. His hand froze in mid air. The footsteps stopped right behind him and at the corner of his eyes, he could glimpse the black tips of the other man’s shoes.

“I expect an answer.”

There was a flicker of irritation within the brunet. Acting so high and mighty, who did the man think he was?

“I’m sure you have eyes. Or are you blind on top of being an asshole?”

The words were muttered but even then, he knew the man could hear them without a problem. He choked back a gasp when a hand vice gripped his face, tilting it up so that he was forced to look into those stormy grey eyes.

“Eyes? Maybe you should look me in the eyes and try saying that again.”

And he did. He stared back defiantly, mustering all the hate and disgust he could into his stare, only the slight movement of his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down as he swallowed betraying his nervousness.

“I said, are you blind on top of being an asshole?” Each word was forced out with surprising effort and the lack of air wasn’t helping.

The man paused for a moment, then let him go. For a second, Eren was surprised. He had thought he would get punished again, if not a bit roughened up. He watched silently as the man picked up everything onto a serving platter. When everything was put away, the man turned towards him again.

“Get some rest.”

Eren rolled his eyes when the man turned away and exited the room. ‘Get some rest’? Bullshit. Of course he was going to ‘get some rest’. It’s not like he could go anywhere like this. What, was the man getting sentimental now? He snickered, contempt and a hint of hate welling up inside him. He shifted slowly on the bed so that he could right himself and leaned his head against the pillow. The ache of his behind was still there but it was somewhat better than before, as long as he didn’t move too much. He had always been a fast healer, so hopefully he would be able to move around earlier than the man would expect him to. With one last look at the table beside him, his breathing slowed and his eyes closed.

\- AoT - SnK - 

The phone was picked up on the first ring.

“It’s not working. Whatever the fuck you suggested isn’t working. He’s afraid of me.”

There was a yawn from the other side.

_“Look, honey, what’d you expect? The poor child is terrified of you even if he doesn’t want to admit it. You gotta admit, your ‘Levi concept’ of wooing is quite scary to the normal citizen.”_

“...I don’t see anything wrong with establishing my claim.”

_“Exactly. You may not see anything wrong with it but Eren dear is a normal citizen.”_

A pause ensued followed with some crunching sounds.

_“I doubt he can be forced to appreciate your methods. Come to think of it, did my little munchkin apologise?”_

“Of course I did,” Levi scoffed, “and you dipshit, can’t that shitty mouth of yours come up with something better?”

_“Well, poop face, I bet you didn’t do it properly.”_

Levi growled lowly, ready to hit the end button.

_“Woah, woah, calm your tits. I’m just saying, did you even say you’re sorry? Get on your knees and say those words sincerely?”_

“I...Was sincere.”

_“Oh really. Hm, let me guess, you pretended to act tough and just said something off-handedly as you brought him his meal, no?”_

“...”

_“What did I say, I really do deserve an award for all this. I think I’ll demand for a whole month off after this so I can finally pay full attention to my own experiments. Look, you acting tough isn’t going to do anything, shorty, it’s only going to make him hate you more. Well, actually, you might piss him off even more with an apology but hey, it’s a start.”_

“...What do I need to do then?”

_“Oh my God. Levi’s listening. The shorty’s actually listening to me for once. Erwin! The sky’s falling down!”_

“Hurry the fuck up, Glasses.”

_“Yes, yes, munchkins, I already told you. Go and apologise to the boy, sincerely. Tell Eren you’re sorry. It won’t make up for all the harm you’ve caused him but it’s a start and it’s better than nothing.”_

“Is that it?”

_“Well, no, but it’s what you should begin with. You owe him that much, and so much more.”_

There was nothing else to be said. Levi ended the call and threw the phone to one side. If he had to apologise, he would do it, as long as it would let Eren stay by his side.

Later...Later he would go do it.

\- AoT - SnK - 

“Levi called again?”

The man leaned against his companion’s desk, careful not to knock down the huge piles of documents from who knows how long ago that lined the sides. In his hand was a cup of tea which he savoured, trying to ignore the cups that lined the bottom of the desk. So that was where all the mugs had gone.

“Yup, loverboy messed up. Again.”

“Hm, I suppose it is nice to see him so smitten for once.”

Hanji sighed and rolled her eyes, “Stop laughing at him, you asshole, and maybe help him for once.”

Erwin shook his head in mock sadness, “But I always do, don’t I?”

“Not before you’ve had your own fill?”

The blond coughed in an attempt to hold back a smile, “Perhaps. How’s the research going?”

“Not much. I’ve gotten the list of all our recruits organised and sorted but now we have to go through all of them. I’ve selected the few that seem more suspicious but more observation is required before we can make a move.”

“Hm, it won’t be that easy though, anyone sent by that man is as Levi would say, a ‘pain in the ass’. I doubt any information has leaked to any of our real rivals though.”

Hanji tapped the side of her head nonchalantly, “What can I say? They’re peas of a pod no matter how much they deny it. Alright, back to work, you’ve lazed off enough, you lazy bum.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Erwin tilted the mug at her, “and maybe you could clean and return my mugs?”

\- AoT - SnK - 

“Sir.”

“Report.” A hand flipped the page of the documents that detailed an agreement between the company and a small agency.

“We have new intel. They’re combing through the ranks now.”

The man snorted elegantly as he tossed the documents onto the table.

“I’m not surprised. Betrayal has always been one of his sore spots. If he didn’t take action, I would’ve been severely disappointed. But he won’t find it this time. If anything, this is an opportunity for him to realise just how powerless he really is. Do I have any more appointments this afternoon?”

“Yes, sir,” the secretary replied, “you have an appointment with the Takamori agency at three and a dinner with the head of the Akazuki company at five.”

The man didn’t respond right away as he leaned back into his chair.

“Hey, Haru, do you think he hates me?”

Itou Haru stared at his boss in contemplation. 

“I would say so, sir. Most would.”

“But Levi’s not most.”

“But he’s still human.”

The man laughed bitterly. It made sense that Levi would hate him after all that he has done.

“You know, sometimes I wish we were born somewhere else. In another family. Just a normal family.”

“Perhaps another lifetime, sir.”

“Indeed. What does Akazuki want this time?”

Itou shared his thoughts without hesitation, “I heard his daughter is coming along this time.”

“I see. They never learn, do they?”

“I suppose not, sir.”

“Another headache it shall be. Make sure Akazuki doesn’t cross the line.”

“Yes, sir.”

The man tilted his head to the side so that he could see the panorama view outside his office. The streets were still filled with cars, the sides lined with people rushing in any and all directions. The weather was exceptionally well, sunny without a hint of clouds. But everything seemed miniscule from where he stood, small and tiny and not worth a cent. His hands smoothed over the handles of his chair and he stood, making his way to the door.

“Alright, let’s get these meetings over with. I want to call him after all this.”

“Yes, sir.”

\- AoT - SnK - 

_\- 6 months ago -_

“Ready! Go!”

The instructor called out as a group of young men and women started running towards the new parkour course that had just been set up last week. Eren watched from the sidelines, a large box in his hands as he made his way to the man with the whistle.

“Hey, Collin. I’ve finished moving the last of the boxes. Is there anything else that needs to be moved?”

Collin Wright turned around, his muscles flexing as he wiped away a bead of sweat and adjusted his cap.

“Nope, thanks for the help, man. You want to join the other kids for a bit?”

Eren’s eyes brightened up as he nodded vigorously and ran off to change his clothes.

A month ago, Devitt had brought him to an acquaintance of his who had opened a venue offering parkour lessons for beginners. Collin Wright had been more than happy to pay back whatever favour it was he owed Devitt and cleared out a room on the third floor for them to live in. In return, Eren often did odd jobs around the place, whether it was carrying or cleaning things. A week after their arrival, Collin had seen Eren staring at the kids and young adults who were practicing beginner parkour moves and suggested for him to join in the lessons when he had time. The brunet had accepted without a second thought. His enthusiasm had been more than enough to keep him going even after the first few days of sore muscles and exhaustion. Devitt sometimes joined in if he wasn’t off on one of his tasks and Eren could hardly keep his mouth shut when he first discovered just how good Devitt was at parkour - who knew that the quiet Portuguese man who barely talked back at the fast food restaurant was actually this athletic and fit? It made the brunet look down at his own skinny arms and legs and frown in contemplation. From then on, he joined the man in his morning runs and participated in all the beginner parkour courses he could get into without affecting his normal hours spent helping the place. 

He quickly stripped and changed into a set of t-shirt and shorts with running shoes and ran back to the course where Collin had the students gathered around him. Eren slowed down to a jog and shuffled into the back, sitting down with the other students were. Collin was giving a quick overview of what this particular group had learned last time and giving overall feedback and tips.

“Don’t laze off with the warm up and the stretches that come after your training - the last thing I want is for someone to pull a muscle and break something and I have to call the ambulance.”

A chorus of yeses came from the class along with a few hidden eyerolls. They paired off into groups to begin with the warm up. A girl made her way to him and tapped on his left shoulder.

“Hey. Partners?”

Eren smiled, “Sure. I’m Eren. You?”

“Celine.”

They headed for the track and began with a small jog. Eren took cursory glances at the girl next to him and for a second, he thought he could see someone familiar in her. He winced as he realised just who she reminded him of.

That pale blonde hair and clear blue eyes often left with a deadpan expression. The petite face and small, lithe frame hidden with strong muscles that could very well be packing a good punch or kick to who knows where.

Annie.

“Who?”

Eren started as he whipped his head in her direction. Had he spoken that aloud?

“Annie. Is that a friend of yours?” Celine looked at him as they followed the curve of the track.

“I guess…,” Eren mumbled, the words muddled with the quick breaths coming in and out, “You sort of remind me of her.”

Celine laughed, a light laugh that sounded so carefree and happy that immediately broke Eren’s image of Annie within her.

“I’ll take that as a compliment, since you seem to care for this Annie quite a bit.”

Eren huffed, “I wouldn’t say it that way, we were friends after all. We used to interact in the same social group.”

“‘Used to’? Did you guys have a falling out?”

The brunet didn’t answer right away. Celine looked at him, waiting for his answer as they finished the lap and began their squats.

“No. She...Had to leave.”

Maybe Celine had gotten the hint. Maybe not. Either way, the talk of Annie stopped there and she moved onto how she had the craziest encounter the other day with this lady in the supermarket.

And Eren let out a relieved sigh at that. No matter how much time had passed, he still wasn’t ready to face his past.

\- AoT - SnK - 

_\- Present -_

“Welcome, Mr. Ackerman, Mr. Itou.” The middle-aged man stood up to offer a handshake as the other approached the table. The young woman beside him had a light blush as she stood up to offer the same.

The young man in the black suit made the skin contact as brief as possible, not missing the slight disappointment that flashed across the woman’s face as he made himself comfortable on the chair. His secretary followed in suit but he nodded to both in silence as he also sate down.

“Nice to see you, too, Mr. Akazuki. It’s been a while since I’ve been back in Japan.”

“Yes, I must say that it has been very hard to secure a meeting with you, Mr. Ackerman,” Akazuki gestured for the menus to be brought out and a waiter immediately arrived with thin booklets bound with gold strings.

The young man thumbed through the menu, taking note of the foreign dishes that lined the pages, all of which he had tried before. For a second, he made a note to himself to tell Haru to get him some traditional Japanese cuisine for the next few days he would spend in this country. After all, there really was no point in coming to Japan only to eat Italian food, even if it were at a three-star restaurant.

He quickly made his choice and tipped it off to the waiter.

“I suppose. Haru does take very good care of my schedule though, making sure that I am never without a break, at least not one that’s past ten minutes.”

“It is my job to do so,” Haru murmured quietly and only the young man could tell that the secretary was less than impressed with his idea of a joke.

Akazuki laughed, a loud and harsh noise that echoed in the large room.

“What a strict secretary you have, Mr. Ackerman, though he does seem to very diligent in his line of work.”

“Indeed he is.”

If Haru were slightly preening himself from the compliment from his boss, he didn’t show it on his face.

“However, Mr. Ackerman, surely even a man like you prefers a change in pace sometimes?”

The young man didn’t answer. He already knew what Akazuki would suggest.

“You see, my daughter just completed a degree in business and she has been looking around for a secretarial position. She’s always set high goals for herself, you see, and she was recently discussing with me about a position at your corporation.”

There was no reply and Haru only shifted slightly in his seat as he reached over for the documents he had prepared ahead of time.

“Allow me to step in, sir,” he said to no one in particular, if only to break the awkward silence and to divert Akazuki’s attention, “I have taken the liberty to prepare these documents.”

Akazuki's eyes lit up and the blush that had been on his daughter's face only deepened. The young man didn't even raise his head to look at their hopeful faces as he waited for his secretary to continue.

“These are the general documents for an application to a position at the corporation. I have included the required skills and experience as well as previous feedback from interviewees. Reference letters will be needed and the interviews will be done in several rounds until the final few are selected. After that, intensive training will be given to those who are hired and they start at the beginning positions and slowly work up the ladder through promotions. If there are any questions, please feel free to contact the help centre - they will be more than happy to answer any inquiries regarding the hiring process.” The files were passed over the table and for a moment, neither father nor daughter moved.

Akazuki broke the silence with a forced chuckle.

“My, what a capable secretary but I’m afraid he has misinterpreted my words, Mr. Ackerman.” 

The young man raised an eyebrow, “Oh really? But I have to say, Akazuki, everyone starts from somewhere, no? Surely you must have enough faith in your daughter that she will do well since you were so proudly praising her just moments ago.”

The drop of the prefix did not go unnoticed and the older man had to visibly hold himself back as he tried again.

“Well, yes, but I was hoping-”

“Hoping?” This time, the young man didn’t waste a moment to interrupt. “I don’t believe we are talking about the same thing, Akazuki. You see, each and every employee in my corporation has gone through the same process. My secretary here is no exception. He stays in his position because he is capable of doing so. I have nothing against your daughter applying for a position at our corporation but whether or not she makes it in will depend on her own abilities, not me.”

There was no ignoring the awkward atmosphere now; Akazuki’s lips were pressed so tight his cheeks flared out comically with the deep breath he took and his eyes bulged with disbelief. 

“Why, you-!”

“Papa!” Akazuki Saori suddenly placed a hand on her father’s arm, signalling for him to calm down. She then turned to the young man, a faint smile on her face, “I apologise, Mr. Ackerman, please understand my father only wishes for my well-being. I understand that his request may have overstepped your boundaries.” Her gaze shifted to Haru. “And thank you, Mr. Itou, for the information and documents. I will definitely put them to good use.”

Haru tilted his head forward but his face remained expressionless. Despite how sensible the woman seemed, the calculating feeling he got from her never left. Her father may be more driven by his emotions but this woman, she was not as rash. No, she was more cunning and that could either be an asset or a liability depending on how she used it. 

“Well then, it seems that this dinner is over now. Haru, we’re leaving. I wish you a good day, Mr. Akazuki.”

Akazuki nodded silently but didn’t even bother to get up to send off his guests. Saori sensed her father’s displeasure and got up in his stead and offered a brilliant smile as she bowed. 

Haru bowed as well before he followed in his boss’ footsteps.

As soon as they stepped outside, the young man grimaced.

“That woman. If she applies, keep an eye on her. I don’t need someone who fancies themselves to be clever to be causing trouble on my territory.”

“Yes, sir.”

A pity, Haru thought. If only her father hadn’t taken such an initiative, Akazuki Saori might have had a better chance of applying. He shook his head, whether it was her or her father who decided to make this meeting, her chance was already gone.

\- AoT - SnK - 

Eren jolted when the hiss of doors woke him from his light nap but he didn’t raise his head. He stayed still and tried to keep his breaths even.

_In, out. In, out._

Maybe if he stayed asleep the bastard would leave.

Footsteps approached his side of the bed and the mattress dipped. A hand hovered near his head, as though unsure whether or not to touch him.

“You’re awake, aren’t you?”

The boy’s breath hitched and he knew his cover had been blown. Yet, he stayed still, refusing to even look at his captor.

“Look,” the gruff voice continued, “I might have been a bit forceful. I mean...At least that’s what shitty glasses said. So…I’m...Sorry.”

Eren’s mind went blank until it clicked. And suddenly, rage filled him.

“‘Sorry’? That’s all you have to say?” He hauled himself up, the pain momentarily forgotten, and he stared into widened grey orbs. “You think that’s enough after all you’ve done? You killed my friends, you stalked me for years and now you kidnap me and you think saying ‘sorry’ is enough? You’re a freaking murderer,” he hissed, teeth bared as he spat everything out.

Something dimmed in those orbs. 

“You’re right,” Levi replied calmly as he got up, “but that is my profession. As a professional assassin, it is without a doubt that I will kill people. This is my world, Eren, and it is best you get used to it soon.”

“That’s right, _your_ world. Not mine. I never asked to be dragged into your world! And my friends, surely they weren’t your targets, they were just students! And you still call that your profession? They were innocent!”

“Innocent but not uninvolved,” the man said as he turned to look back at Eren, “there are things you don’t know. Believe me when I say that this is for the best. You are safe here.”

“Safe?” Eren mocked, an incredulous expression on his face, “I get molested and whipped and you call this ‘safe’? I have a fucking collar on my neck!”

Levi didn’t reply this time and he started for the door.

“Don’t you dare run away, you coward!”

He halted right before exiting.

“Believe me, this is for the best.”

The whisper reached Eren’s ears and he could only look on in disbelief as the doors closed again.

For the best? Safe? Was this man delusional? Ever since his appearance five years ago, nothing had been safe. Even now, he was trapped here against his own will and yet the man called this ‘safe’? And ‘innocent but not uninvolved’, the hell did that mean? Pure bullshit, that’s what it was. As if he would believe such lies.

In a moment of rage, he bit one of the many pillows in front of him, not stopping until his teeth ripped away the fabric and feathers bled out from the opening.

Bullshit. It must be bullshit. There was no other explanation.

\- AoT - SnK - 

Levi leaned against the wall, his head tilted back. Dark bangs fell against the sides of his head, brushing against the tips of his ears.

There was nothing to be worried about. Eren was in his hands. Everything was going according to plan. Everything _will_ go according to plan. Even if he must keep Eren caged in that room, it would be for the best.

There was no going back now. There never had been a path for him to retreat onto.

He took a deep breath and let it out. Right. It was for the best.

Levi stood upright again, his mind cleared of the worry that had suddenly invaded his thoughts minutes ago. 

Now, to call shitty glasses and tell her the shitty idea hadn’t worked...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...On the bright side, Eren didn't fall asleep this time?
> 
> As usual, comments, feedback, criticisms, take your pick :) (If you are still reading, I'm eternally grateful for your patience with my slow updates TT)


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